UK rental company Horizon Platforms has supplied an aerial work platform to Wakefield Hospice.
The machine - a Youngman Boss X3X push around scissor lift - was donated to the organisation for use at its donation warehouse. It followed a volunteering day undertaken by the Horizon Platforms team, who spotted an opportunity to help the Hospice volunteers by replacing the ladders with a safer, more efficient machine for the job.
The new machine in action
The 450 square metre warehouse often houses tens of thousands of donated items at any one time prior to being distributed to the charity’s eight retail shops or sold via its eBay shop. Staff at the warehouse include a warehouse manager, three sorters, three drivers and two house clearance staff. A team of volunteers help with everything from greeting to PAT testing to sorting, and the charity welcomes corporate teams throughout the year and is constantly on the lookout for volunteers to support with its operations.
Wakefield Hospice volunteers were trained by Horizon's Ian Moorehouse
In addition to supplying the machine, the company provided the Hospice team with a full operator training course at its facility, to ensure the machine will be used safely. The work platform was also painted in the hospice’s brand colour and will be maintained by Horizon free of charge.
The delivery
Helen Knowles, director of income generation for Wakefield Hospice, said: “We welcome so many volunteers from local businesses each year, and the way they give up their time is always so appreciated. To be given such a useful machine to help us reduce the time it takes from receiving donations to getting them out to our stores or sold online will have such a big impact on our hard-working volunteers.”
The handover
Horizon chief executive Ben Hirst added: “We have been an employee-owned business now for two years, and each co-owner at Horizon is given the chance to swap working days for volunteering days. It is something I’d definitely encourage other businesses in our industry to consider. These charities and organisations are often short staffed, so just by offering your time can really make a difference. We’re happy the charity now has one of our machines to help them stay safe when they are working at height and we’ll continue to ensure this is the case, indefinitely.”
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