Giving back to your community is on the agenda of all forward thinking organisations. Cullen Scholefield is definitely forward thinking so we are actively involved in our local community here in Haywards Heath. I was surprised that LinkedIn picked up my 4th anniversary of being Chair of the Haywards Heath and District Business Association (HHDBA).
This is a very lively group of people committed to having fun and doing business together, so whilst we work all over the world it is good to have our base here. The HHDBA also gives our team the benefit of socialising and learning. The Pétanque, Pimms and Pizza event was a classic example.
On a more serious note it gives me the opportunity to work with a group of like minded people who volunteer their time. This gives me an added dimension to my skills and keeps me on my toes in terms of my ability to motivate and lead a disparate team without any real power. So whilst I am giving my time, I am also developing at the same time.
It also gives us challenges – we are running a conference this September and how this gets promoted is key – using the strengths of our team in HHDBA a promotional video was done. Pete Cogle who I found via HHDBA, also now does our videos so we have a lovely way of doing business locally. Similarly John Hockaday who does our website was found via HHDBA. We are fans of Aquapax – how did I find out about this? Via HHDBA. We are employing Rob Gordon again to help us cover our delightful Toni Ross’ prolonged sick absence – how did we find him? He was one of the original HHDBA interns. Our lovely Gina has a passion for photography and is often found snapping away at our HHDBA events.
So CSR really adds a dimension of learning and fun for all of us!