Making a Difference with our Days

It is an important part of Space & Time’s ethos that we have a positive social impact on the communities within which we operate.  

While it’s clear that volunteering can be a powerful force for good which offers important help to people in need and to the communities we inhabit, it can often be difficult for people to find the time to volunteer alongside busy work schedules and other commitments. 

This was the driving principle behind the agency’s ‘Difference Days’ program, which encourages colleagues to donate a working day of their time to a charity of their choice. Since its creation in 2021 the team have used this scheme to contribute to a wide range of charities across the country. The response was universally strong, with everybody feeling enriched by donating time in this way.   

We asked a few members of our team to tell us about their Difference Day experiences below… 

Simon Melaniphy | Associate Director 

I was one of a group of festively dressed colleagues from the Bournemouth office who volunteered for the Christmas Hamper appeal. We spent several hours putting together the hampers ready to be sent out, and I returned the following day to help deliver a few of them.  

Every year the appeal delivers 200 hampers to local families in crisis. They include fresh and frozen food as well as some treats, and they look fantastic.  I’ve seen first-hand what a difference they can make to a family at Christmas, who might be going through difficult times. Playing a part in making that happen and spread some goodwill at Christmas was something I found really rewarding. 

Kerry Carrick | Client Partner Lead 

In December I spent a day as a Christmas Elf at Wood Street Mission in Manchester City Centre. Wood Street Mission is a children’s charity, established in 1869 and has helped children and families on low income in Manchester and Salford for the past 154 years! Every year they do a toy appeal, and we used our Difference Days to join them at their city centre base to welcome families into the Mission to choose gifts that had been kindly donated.  

The S&T Manchester office participates in a toy collection every year for the Christmas Appeal, but spending the day there, seeing how welcome those donations are and the families they help was just so rewarding – I’m looking forward to helping again this December. 

Hannah Levick | Client Partner Lead 

Last year I joined a team of volunteers from the Reigate office to spend the day helping at our local children’s charity, Stripey Stork. Stripey Stork collects donations of toys, clothes and other essential items for babies and children in order to rehome them with local families experiencing hardship. 

We spent our time there sorting through donations and making packages of various essential clothing items, ready to donate to a family in need.