Having been working for Mantralis for over a year now. I can happily say I thoroughly enjoy working for this company.  Mantralis feels more like a friendship support group than it does an employer. I, and I am sure most others, enjoy the projects that we work on; we all care deeply about the impression we give to other companies, as well as the customers and communities that we engage with.

One of the benefits that we have within Mantralis is being able to take 2 paid days per year for volunteer days with a charity or local cause.  I decided to volunteer with two different charities. 1 day at each, meaning I would be able to help more people across the board.

Making A Difference on Volunteer Days

I currently hold a voluntary position as co-chair for a local primary school’s Parent, Friend, and Teacher Association (PTFA).  This registered charity raised lots of money for the children of the school to help buy equipment for learning. It paid for school trips for all year groups and provided all children with a small gift at Christmas. It provided the year 6 children with leaver’s books and hoodies. Plus an inflatable bouncy castle assault courses in the summer to ensure all children have fun memories of school!

The day volunteering that Mantralis provided to me was the day of the Christmas fete. Meaning that I had 8 hours to help set up for the event that evening.  My roles on the day included directing other PTFA members on where stalls were being located. Helping set up the Christmas grotto for the Father Christmas Visits, and providing a collection service to the local bakery. Which was kindly donating lots of baked goodies for us to sell at the event.  I also found myself making popcorn for an hour that would be sold at the fete (although I am sure I may have dropped more than I bagged in the end). 

What A Success!

The event was a success and we had so many visitors that we completely sold out of refreshments, popcorn, hotdogs, and candy floss!  We had to close down the lucky dip game and the children’s sweet tombola due to running out of prizes!

The PTFA members were exhausted by the end of the night, but seeing all the hype on our social media page made it all worthwhile.  Seeing children holding big coloured hampers they had won in the raffle. A giant elf, and unlocking the code to our secret prize box was enough reassurance to know that we had done a good job. It was all worthwhile for the children of the school.

A few weeks later, I was happy to report back to Mantralis the overall profit margins of the entire event, but also the smaller areas of benefit, where the volunteer time I was provided with allowed the stall to run.  The bakery stall raised over £175 with the donated goodies and the popcorn stall raised just short of £100 profit!  The Santa’s grotto (which, may I add, the children said was magical) raised over £130 profit too!

In total, the profit margin for this event was over £2300! This is an incredible amount of money and all of the children will benefit from this during the current school year.  I doubt very much that we would have raised this much if it hadn’t been for the time that Mantralis had donated for me to be able to achieve the tasks I did in those 8 hours.

The Baby Bank

The second day that I used for volunteering was for a cause that is close to both mine and the Company Director’s heart. The Baby Bank for Bedford.  This charity was set up by the Director of Mantralis, Jennie Bayliss. To help families with children under 8 years old who may, unfortunately, find themselves needing extra help with supporting their children.

My 8-hour volunteer day began in a church hall where donations were at one end of the hall. There were areas set up with both boys and girls in each age group. So it was easy to navigate around.

There were lots of volunteers. No sooner had I said hello than I was handed a cup of tea, and biscuits. Directed by the others to the donation bags.  Here I spent the best part of my day opening bags and sorting through clothing, toys, accessories, and educational materials into the correct areas.

I also contributed some of my own daughter’s clothes and toys. It is so lovely to think how happy some other children and families will be when they receive these.

Halfway into the day, I was pleasantly surprised with lunch. A meal deal had been purchased personally by the Director for all the volunteers, and her mum was on the rounds again with more tea. She makes a brilliant cup – perfect every time!

Gradually the sorted and filled bags were moved into the vans to be taken to the storage unit. Ready to be given out to families who have been referred.

I felt really good by the end of the day. Mentally more so, as my old back and knees did not agree so much.  This time provided me with an opportunity to see what has been donated by local people. And see any areas that may be missing donations, and most importantly, allow me to help others.

Since opening, the Baby Bank has grown in popularity in the local community. We are now having to move to an even larger unit! I have already volunteered myself to attend the next sort-out day and will even bring the cakes this time!

How To Get Involved

There are not many companies out there that will actively allow their employees time to help their local community. Which is why I am proud to work for Mantralis.  Not only is this a company I feel I have great support from in my work and personal development. They care for the residents in the local community and are not afraid to show this. And if you’re not a volunteer but have been considering it…don’t hesitate! There are so many ways to get involved. There is something for everyone.