Member News - TAGLaw

Volaw Trust Company (Jersey) is delighted to announce that it has won the Jersey Association of Trust Companies’ (JATCo’s) inaugural Corporate Social Responsibility Award, which was presented during JATCo’s Annual Dinner on Friday 20 May.

Whist Volaw is involved in supporting a number of charities and community organisations, during the last four years Volaw’s principal CSR support has been given to Mont à l’Abbé School, which cares for children with special needs from 4 to 16 years old.

Volaw’s first involvement with the School in 2007 was to fund a sensory room for the children. Since then, Volaw has continued to support the school in a variety of ways, some requiring financial contributions, others relying on Volaw’s staff giving up their time to help the school and the children who go to it. Volaw’s staff have been very passionate about getting involved in this support for the school, which has helped that the company’s help has always led to a positive outcome for the school.

Recent initiatives include some of Volaw’s Accounts Group helping out during the School’s Maths Week, staff collecting books to donate for Reading Week and planting trees and shrubs to make a sensory garden. We also present the Volaw Friendship Cup at end-of-year assembly, an award that is intended to reflect the ethos of the School’s teaching.

Every Christmas the School choir sings carols for Volaw’s staff at the offices as their way of saying ‘thank you’ for everything the firm has done throughout the year. This reciprocity makes Volaw’s staff proud of their efforts and boosts morale.

Volaw’s Managing Director, Robert Christensen, comments:

‘We are very proud of our CSR programme and to have our work recognised in this way reflects the hard work that has gone into building relationships within the local community. We believe that CSR is about more than just spending money: Our approach recognises our wider responsibility within our society and we value the opportunity to participate in positive initiatives within the community. Our CSR programme requires what most business relationships need: long-term commitment, dedication and relationship building, and this award reflects on the efforts of all of our staff who have been involved in these projects and who share in this success.’

Whilst the value of improved staff morale is hard to measure, there is a real, quantifiable value to CSR from the point of view of a business. In 2010 there were 18 articles published in local press and 9 news items of broadcast media covering Volaw’s CSR activities. The positive aspect of such media coverage has helped to increase brand recognition and had an impact on public perception and enquiries for staff recruitment.

Georgina Jeffries, Volaw’s Head of Marketing, collected the award on behalf of Volaw at the Awards ceremony, which was attended by Senior Managers from Volaw and Sharon Eddie, the Head Teacher of Mont à l’Abbé School.