Yorkshire Day 2009

Ey up! Staff at Benchmark Recruit recently joined forces with JCI Sheffield on a campaign to celebrate everything Yorkshire-like and raise money for local charities, in association with the South Yorkshire Community Foundation. On Friday 31st July all staff were encouraged to come to work dressed as one of the county's stereotypes and donate a minimum of £2 for the privilege! All money raised, once finalised, will be matched and gift aided through the SYCF's Grassroots Grants endowment scheme which will in turn double the final amount. Great fun and laughs-a-plenty were had on the actual day, but this was actually a really worthwhile experience as the money raised will go on to be invested and the interest generated will be used to make community grants to local groups forever. For further info, check out www.sycf.org.uk

Benchmark's Amy Tingle now a Neurocare Trustee!

We are delighted to announce that Benchmark Director Amy Tingle has been chosen and appointed as a trustee of Neurocare the charity that provides Funding to purchase world-beating technology for the Neurosciences Department at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield. Lesley – Chief Executive of Neurocare said “it became apparent during our talking head focus group that Amy was capable of thinking outside the box and challenging the status quo, she contributes ideas and contacts and brings a level of young blood & energy to the table, we were delighted to have her join us as a trustee”

Charity Race Night!

Benchmark Recruit were one of the main sponsors of Irwin Mitchell's 'Charity Race Night' - an event held at the Irwin Mitchell offices in Sheffield city centre. Ladies were invited to place bets on the races and the evening included some highlights of horse-racing and spectating from the 80s as well as many interesting hats and head-attire!

A huge success, the event raised just under £500 which will be donated to Cavendish Cancer Care. For further information about this charity and fantastic work they do please visit www.cavcare.org.uk

Three Peaks Challenge!

Benchmark and the extended team proved they had the heart and the head for heights after tackling one of the country’s toughest outdoor challenges in aid of the British Heart Foundation! The group had less than 24 hours to complete the notorious Three Peaks Challenge and raise £1,000 for the charity! The challenge saw the team climbing Ben Nevis in Scotland, before moving on to Scafell Pike in the Lake District and finally facing the ascent of Welsh peak Snowdon; a combined total of 3,407m in conditions that ranged from bright sunshine to heavy rain!

Benchmark Recruits for Neurocare!

It was during a chance meeting at Nabarro’s Annual Summer Ball held at Sheffield Cathedral that Lesley Eland from Neurocare mentioned that she was desperate for an extra pair of hands in the fundraising office, but was just too snowed under to get it sorted! Knowing the hard work and dedication that the Neurocare team put in to their charitable organisation, we were keen to help and offered our consultative recruitment & retention services to the organisation, free of charge. Directors Amy and Louisa visited the Neurocare Head Office and met with the team not only to clarify exactly the type of candidate they needed but also to assess the teams’ personalities and learning styles to ensure that they could find the perfect fit! Following this consultation, we concentrated on providing Neurocare with a friendly, efficient and professional service by selecting the top three candidates to go forward for interview. It was a tough decision but Rebecca, with her organisational skills, strong administration background and cheery personality, was chosen as the new recruit! We will be on hand to assist when needed as we offer a range of material for all clients that includes induction plans for the first day, learning styles questionnaires, weekly  reviews etc and wish Rebecca and the team at Neurocare every success in the future!

 

Whirlow Hall Farm Charity Raffle

Benchmark Recruit, sponsors of the JCI Ball held in Sheffield last month,raised over £1000 for Whirlow Hall Farm with a charity raffle.

 

The prizes were donated by a range of Sheffield companies and organisation including Cubana’s bar and restaurant, The Mediterranean, Sheffield International Venues, Exposed Magazine, Seams Ltd and so on.

 

Bridget Evans, Chief Executive of Whirlow Hall Farm Educational Trust, was delighted to receive the cheque as the farm relies heavily on support from local businesses and fundraisers.

 

 

The farm shop, selling their produce, is open from 10am - 5pm Wednesday to Sunday and visitors are also welcome to see the animals and get involved in volunteer projects helping out on the farm!

 

Office Wars

Benchmark Recruit has joined forces with Exposed Magazine and Whirlow Hall Farm to bring you South Yorkshires 'Office Wars'!

This is your opportunity to pit your office against like-minded Sheffield companies to find out which of you is the most talented, agile and downright competitive! There will be fifty teams, four zones but only one winner: so let the games begin!

The event will be held at Whirlow Hall Farm and in addition to the office games, we are planning to have an all day BBQ, licensed bar, face painting, bouncy castle and farm tours for the kids as well as a presentation ceremony for the Office Wars winners!

The cost to enter will be around £350 for a team of 12 people and all proceeds will be going to charity. You can get sponsorship for the funding, either through your organisation or personally through family and friends and don't worry if your office team is on the small side; you gain strength in number by buddying up with other companies in the same boat!

So get your thinking caps on and we'll see you soon!

 

Sponsored walk for Water Aid

Benchmark Directors Amy Tingle and Louisa Harrison joined other JCI Sheffield members for a sponsored walk to raise funds for WaterAid, a charity that helps provide clean drinking water for underprivilaged children across the world. The theme of the day was to walk a mile in someone elses shoes which involved walking across Sheffield carrying a water bucket and between us nearly a thousand pounds was raised for the cause.

Dawn House School

Directors Amy Tingle and Louisa Harrison have recently been invited to become Education and Business Advisers within the Young Enterprise Scheme, in affiliation with Dawn House School, Mansfield. Young Enterprise is a national education charity, founded in 1963, to forge links between schools and businesses. Its mission is to inspire and equip young people to learn and succeed through enterprise and they operate a number of programmes for young people throughout the UK and aim to provide young people with a practical experience of the world of work.

Education and Business Advisers work alongside young people to make the Young Enterprise scheme as accessible as possible and to facilitate the programme's activities. Louisa and Amy were invited along to Dawn House School to work with their pupils and assist them in planning and developing their own ideas for a new Business Scheme. Dawn House School provides intensive and specialist support for children and young people aged 5 -19 years who have a severe communication disability. The school aims to help pupils achieve their full potential intellectually, academically and socially and after an inspection by Ofsted in January 2005, was recognised as one of the best special schools in the country.

With a sound background in, and knowledge of all aspects involved in the workings of a start-up business, Louisa and Amy were on hand to offer advice to the pupils and provide them with information, tips and a unique insight into the realities of creating and running a successful business. In addition to creating a business idea, the pupils had to appoint a board of directors and assign roles, hold monthly board meetings to assess the progress of the business and continue to develop new ideas.

Chesterfield College

We are often surprised how many young people apply to us with poor CVs and lacking the ability to sell themselves at interview, considering how essential these life skills are we were more than happy to lend a hand and host a seminar for the pupils at Chesterfield College. The session focused on offering advice and guidance on how to write a winning CV, basic interview tips and techniques and how to conduct yourself in an interview situation to get the job you want.

Gardening Day at Whirlow Hall Farm

As part of Benchmark Recruit's commitment to Corporate Social Responsibilty we were delighted to take lend a hand at Whirlow Hall Farm and Eductional Trust. The farm provides interactive educational programmes for children from all areas and backgrounds across Sheffield. Whirlow Hall Farm relies soley on donations and contributions from local businesses and people. We were joined by several members of the JCI Sheffield and a fun filled, rewarding day was had by all!

Planting Trees!

At Benchmark we love Innocent Smoothies and we also love doing our bit to keep the world green! For every tree you register with Innocent Smoothies, they will donate money on your behalf to plant trees in rural India and Africa. They will also create a tree for you in their virtual forest, making fun and thoughtful gifts! Last year they managed to plant a staggering 164,020 trees and this year they're hoping to grow even more! To 'Buy one, grow one Tree' or for further information check out http://trees.innocentdrinks.co.uk and get planting!