The M+A Partners’ team enjoys the challenge of getting out into the community to help local projects and it was an enthusiastic group that headed to Banham Zoo this August to see how our support could make a difference.

This was the latest in a number of Volunteer Days, and part of the firm’s commitment to assisting charities and organisations within the region, while also giving the team a chance to learn new skills and make connections across departments and offices.

The firm’s ESG Committee identifies different volunteering opportunities across the year, enabling the team to positively impact projects large and small. “Participating in Volunteer Days enables us to give something back in the shape of time and resources – and yet they also benefit our own team, as they get out into a new environment, learning more about the worthwhile causes around us and their fellow colleagues” said Chief Operating Officer, Phil Webster.

Leah Smith, Accounts and Tax Assistant at M+A Partners’ Attleborough office, shares her experience of a day volunteering at Banham Zoo:

“It was a very hot August day when we set out to volunteer at Banham Zoo, which is a UK charity run by The Zoological Society of East Anglia. We had no idea what might await us, painting, sweeping, cleaning out the tiger enclosure…! Luckily, we were tasked with weeding the herb beds by the monkey enclosures. The team at Banham Zoo were so welcoming, it was expertly managed with all tools and equipment provided and we even got subsidised iced coffee which was a lifesaver in the heat.

Banham Zoo is set on a 50-acre site and they really rely on volunteer groups like ours. It was lovely to be able to walk around the zoo, where you could see just how much work is involved in keeping everything running smoothly, and although it felt like we only made a small dent that day, Banham Zoo were so grateful for it. To know that the team I work with are enabling us to help charities like this in such a way is humbling.

Working in the Attleborough branch, it is great to have an opportunity to meet the team from our Norwich and Cromer offices – it felt like we were on a fun team-building day, even though it was hard graft!”