Elena, Principal Consultant in the NECS Yorkshire and Humber Consultancy team, shares her own and her team’s experience of spending a day volunteering at one of Leeds Hospitals Charity’s local charity shops.
In February 2025, six team members from the Yorkshire and Humber (Y&H) Consultancy team spent the day volunteering at one of Leeds Hospitals Charity’s local charity shops.
This collaboration is part of an ongoing partnership between the Y&H Consultancy team and Leeds Hospitals Charity, which was established to support vital fundraising efforts for essential medical equipment and to create a better patient experience.
Throughout this financial year, Y&H Consultancy team has taken part in charity runs, cycling events and bake sales. Volunteering at the charity shop represented another meaningful way for the team to support Leeds Teaching Hospitals in their mission to enhance the lives of patients and staff.
“The day began with a series of behind-the-scenes tasks, where the team and I were involved in sorting through bags of donated goods, organising and preparing items for display and steaming clothing, ready to be placed on the shop floor. Items eligible for Gift Aid were identified by making sure they were labelled correctly, to ensure the charity is able to claim the extra 25% on top of the donation.
“In the afternoon, we moved to the shop floor where we assisted with the reorganising of product displays to create an inviting atmosphere for customers and to encourage potential purchases. We also helped with stock management to ensure there were as many products as possible for customers to buy.
“Leeds Hospitals Charity is an organisation close all of our hearts. Many of us have received care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals, so we relished the opportunity to give back to our local community. Volunteering locally allows us to make a tangible impact, and we as a team, are committed to continue to support for the charity in the future.
“This experience gave us valuable insight into the day-to-day operations of Leeds Hospitals Charity. We learned about the extensive processes involved, from sorting and filtering donations, to organising and preparing stock for sale. Volunteers play a crucial role in the charity’s success and our involvement has inspired us to continue supporting the charity.
“If I had to sum up the experience in three words, I would say it was fulfilling, impactful and engaging. We feel proud of the contribution we made.
“We would definitely recommend volunteering; it’s such a rewarding experience. It’s great that we work for an organisation that gives us the opportunity to give back to local communities. NECS is passionate about Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and encourage colleagues to spend their CSR days supporting local charities. “We had a great day volunteering at the Leeds Hospitals Charity shop! We met some amazing people whilst all doing our bit to help out. We’d like to give a huge thank you to the incredible staff at Leeds Hospital Charity for the fantastic work they do every day, we’re grateful for the opportunity to support them and look forward to doing so again in the future. A special thank you to Caitlin O’hara, junior consultant who arranged the volunteer day”.