At APA Procurement and Supply Training, we’re fortunate to work with learners who are making a difference both professionally and within their local communities.
Today, we’re shining a spotlight on Shaun Durrant, Procurement Specialist at Orbit Homes, who kindly shared how volunteering has helped him support his local community while developing valuable personal and professional skills.
🎤 What does Orbit do to support charity and volunteering initiatives?
Orbit and our housebuilding arm, Orbit Homes, play an active role in supporting local communities through a wide range of charity initiatives and volunteering efforts.
A key area of focus is creating environments and communities that our customers love and are proud to call home. This includes supporting the enhancement of local outdoor spaces by improving grounds or making them more biodiverse and environmentally friendly.
At West Earlham Infant & Nursery School in Norwich, for example, I joined some colleagues and volunteers from other local organisations to help install a new fence, plant a mixed hedgerow, repaint a shed and add enhanced safety and privacy features to the outdoor space at the school. Ultimately, we were able to help create a safer, more engaging outdoor environment that supports the children’s learning, wellbeing and overall development.
Throughout the year, Orbit colleagues organise and participate in various charitable events to give back to both local and national causes. In the last year alone, this has included:
- Collecting Easter eggs for donations to local charitable drives at Easter
- Â Donating books for World Book Day
- Â Gathering warm clothing and food for families in need during the Christmas period
As well as these, there’s always ongoing fundraising initiatives and community volunteering days that bring our colleagues together to make a meaningful difference.
Orbit also supports colleagues with their volunteering efforts and encourages us to get involved by offering all colleagues a day per year to spend helping charitable causes of their choice or taking part in local activities in communities we’re already involved in and love supporting.
It’s great to work somewhere that champions volunteering.
🎤 What made you want to volunteer?
The decision to volunteer was driven by a desire to contribute meaningfully to local communities. It’s incredibly rewarding to support the development of future generations and to play a small part in brightening someone’s day.
🎤 What do you enjoy most about volunteering?
The experience itself was fantastic — working alongside amazing people and sharing a common goal of helping others. The sense of achievement at the end of the day, knowing we’ve made a positive impact locally, is what stands out the most.
🎤 Have you developed any skills through volunteering?
Volunteering has helped me develop several valuable skills, including:
- Effective teamwork and team building
- Â Collaboration with diverse groups of individuals
- Â Planning, organising and allocating tasks efficiently
These are all skills that are transferable and beneficial both professionally and personally.
🎤 Why would you encourage others to volunteer?
I would absolutely recommend volunteering to everyone. Beyond the immediate benefit to local communities, it provides individuals with a sense of achievement and purpose, plus you never know just how much of a positive difference you might make in someone’s life.
A huge thank you to Shaun for sharing his story with us. Stories like this remind us that procurement professionals create value in many different ways, not just through their careers, but through the impact they have on the communities and individuals around them.