Community projects

Our staff have been involved in a huge variety of community involvement projects, from treks to clearing gardens and building fences. Below are just a few examples of some of the work that has been done.

In 2006 and 2007 a group of people from across BDO undertook a nine day trek in the Simien Mountains in Ethiopia to a remote mountain community. They raised money to start a medical outreach program to provide much needed medical aid and health education for a village that had access to neither. As part of the project £10,000 of individual fundraising efforts were also matched by the firm. Plans are underway for the 2008 trek.

Scott McNaughton, one of our audit partners has taken his fundraising efforts to extreme lengths, climbing Everest and this year rowing the Atlantic. He has raised over £20,000 for charity.

Of course not all community involvement has to be on such a grand scale to have an important and lasting impact. Staff from our Leeds office had an ‘away day’ to clear local moorland which will help to preserve it for future generations.

A team from our Birmingham office lead by Paul Stefanyszyn became involved in a six week football coaching programme conceived by the children’s charity Barnardo’s to give young people in Walsall the opportunity to get fit in constructive leisure activities. Following the programme a sporting dinner was held raising over £8,500.

We have recently launched a schools programme where our staff are involved in mentoring students from a secondary school local to our London office, as well as participating in a ‘Stretch’ programme which seeks to raise pupils career aspirations and academic achievement through a range of relevant activities. We are also involved in a literacy programme with a Westminster primary school. Our staff go to the school on a weekly basis to help and encourage children with their learning.  

BDO recognises that projects of this sort not only benefit the communities but also our employees. Often groups of volunteers are made up of staff from different departments and levels. Working together ‘outside of work’ has definitely strengthened relationships between people from different teams, a beneficial contribution to everyday work-communication.