Employees from Finning recently spent the day volunteering at specialist rehabilitation centre, Willowdene as part of its commitment to support community initiatives. 

The volunteers, who chose to support the Social Enterprise in recognition of the work it does to help both men and women in getting their lives back on track, helped out with day-to-day tasks on the working farm and training centre, as well as learning more about the initiatives run by the trust.

Set up in 1988, Willowdene, in Bridgnorth, puts in place innovative training and rehabilitation schemes to help people who have faced difficulties in their lives – and to work to identify and address issues that can be a contributing factor in offending. Together with their support, they can pave the way towards a brighter future.

In addition, Willowdene has been commissioned by the Ministry of Justice to help women gain the specialist support they need to overcome challenges in their life that can play a factor in offending, such as abuse, exploitation, housing issues and mental health issues. 

The Prison Reform Trust states that more than half of the women in prison in the UK report having suffered domestic abuse, and 53 per cent suffered abuse in their childhood, while half of women leaving prison have no settled accommodation.

Willowdene aims to work with women to address past trauma and put in place steps to help them make a fresh start. 

Finning, the world’s largest dealer of Cat^® equipment, parts and services, provides time for its employees to support charities. The company’s marketing team, based at the headquarters in Cannock, Staffordshire, chose Willowdene as their charity of choice, particularly in recognition of its work to help women.

Marketing Manager Tracey Earp said: “As we approached the end of last year, we all decided that we would like to join forces to show our support for a local charity and get involved if we could. 

“It’s so insightful to see from the inside the amazing work that Willowdene does to pick people up when they need it most and to help them see that they can make a positive change in their lives.  

“Their work to support women is something that really resonated with us, and we wanted to raise awareness of that within the company as well as take time out to support Willowdene.”

Matthew Home, CEO at Willowdene said: “We were extremely grateful for the support that Finning staff provided during their day with us. They helped further our social enterprise activities which generates income to directly support women on our programmes to tackle the trauma of their past.  “Their generous donations to our clothing bank were also gratefully received. It was a pleasure to work alongside Finning staff who put 100% into their time with us to make a tangible and direct difference to those most in need.”

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