20 March 2018 marked not only the International Day of Happiness, but also our first birthday. That’s right, Happiful Magazine is one year old
To celebrate, we wanted to do something different. Of course, we will be celebrating as a team but we wanted to do more, we wanted to give back. To give back to the community that has supported us over the last 12 months, and who will no doubt support us in years to come.
We touched on some of our favourite moments of Happiful’s first year in our last article, Happy Happiful Birthday. Here we looked back at some of our favourite interviews, the stories we’ve covered and gave thanks to both our contributors and readers. We really couldn’t have done it without any of you.
So on Tuesday 20 March, the Happiful team divided into four groups and spent the day away from Happiful HQ and instead, getting our hands dirty, giving back to our local community.
Where did we go?
The 'Give and Get Day' at Southwood Infants School, Farnborough
Donning our very own Happiful t-shirts and hoodies, nine members ventured over to Southwood Infants School in Farnborough, to volunteer at the CMPP ‘Give and Get Day’.
The team, fuelled by tea and cakes, got to work clearing lots of ivy, compost and mud from the school grounds.
They unearthed their green fingers, prepping flower beds ready for summer and even did a spot of painting, much to the amusement of the children. Well done team!
Lucy said, “It was a fantastic day and the perfect way to celebrate Happiful’s one year anniversary by volunteering at Southwood. It’s such a friendly environment and we were made welcome. It was really satisfying to see the difference we made to the gardens and play areas. Thank you so much to CMPP for arranging!”
Sycamore Cottage Rest Home, Basingstoke
Sycamore Cottage provides residential care and support, respite care and dementia care in a warm and caring environment. Providing specialist care for Alzheimer’s, bipolar and manic depression, Parkinson’s disease, stroke and visual impairment, Sycamore Cottage is dedicated to providing the utmost care and respect for residents and visitors alike.
Tuesday saw six members of the Happiful team visit Sycamore Cottage, treating the residents to a sing-a-long, plenty of cakes, board games and of course, Happiful magazines!
Lauren said, “We all had a great time at Sycamore Cottage! We spent the afternoon talking to our new friends, where they told stories of their life while we handed out the cakes. It was lovely to see the impact we made on them - we could see their faces light up as we walked in. One of the ladies even had a tear in her eye when we came to leave, they really enjoyed having us there. I am sure our team will be paying them a visit again very soon.”
TEA fair, Farnborough Sixth Form
Farnborough Sixth Form is held very close in our hearts, with many of us at Happiful spending our late teens at the college. The Training Employment and Apprenticeship Fair is a recruitment event held by the college, which focuses on opportunities for the students due to leave in the coming months.
Three members of the Happiful team, armed with our trusty trike, took to the stand on Tuesday to speak to students - not only about the magazine, but also about the career opportunities we have.
Becky said, “Our team were at Farnborough 6th Form for their Training, Employment and Apprenticeship fair, talking to students and advising them about career options after college - particularly job roles within our areas of expertise at Happiful (content writing, marketing, software development, customer services). Our Company Director, Paul, also gave two talks to students, inspiring the entrepreneurs inside them!"
"We loved introducing Happiful magazine to a new audience and hope we helped to inspire the next generation to go and find careers that make them happy.”
Jealott's Hill Landshare, Bracknell
Jealott's Hill Community Landshare is a six-acre site used by the local community, working and supporting each other on horticultural activities. Our team were welcomed by David Putt, the project manager, and quickly got to work in the gardens.
Emma said, “We dug up and moved a cabbage patch cage. We secured wood sleepers in the sensory garden; weeded and then filled in the caged walls of the garden with small stones to make it look pretty. We also painted a storage cupboard for tools to be kept in future.”
“It was such a refreshing place to be as they provide a place for members of the community to get together and support one another. We also witnessed first hand how gardening can positively change the lives of people.”
The day after
It’s safe to say there are some aching arms in the office, but all of us are so pleased with what we achieved and are very keen to do it again. This isn’t a one-off for us. As a company, we are working hard to give back - whether that be through the words in Happiful Magazine, the information and members listed on our directories, or through days out of the office such as this.
And, we gained so much more than expected, not only did we help charity organisations and local schools, we learnt a lot about our fellow coworkers!
Steve said, “Aside from the beaming smiles of the teachers, it was a really good team building experience that provided the opportunity to get to know people within the other departments. There’s often not the opportunities for discussing non-work related topics, so this was great!”
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