STAFF from Marks and Spencer dedicated their time to helping local projects in and around Barnsley.

This comes as part of Marks and Spencer’s ‘Volunteer Week’ which took place this week and encourages employees to volunteer for local causes.

Ten volunteers from the Barnsley store spent time reinvigorating the gardens at Barnsley Hospice by painting benches and planting new flowers and shrubbery. The hospice contacted Marks and Spencer after a lack of funding meant the garden had become overgrown and staff from the volunteer team spent time de-weeding, digging, planting and painting to transform the outdoor space.

Barnsley Hospice works to support people with life-limiting illnesses by providing compassionate care to hundreds of people in the local community.

Ken Barnes, commercial operations section manager at Marks and Spencer Barnsley said: “We’re really proud to be coming together as a team to support Barnsley Hospice.

“Supporting people in need in our local communities is something we know our customers care about too and we were really pleased to be able to get stuck into transforming the hospice’s garden. Volunteering makes a profound difference to communities, and we believe that lots of small actions from lots of people creates a lasting impact to initiatives that do so much good for young people in Barnsley.”

Trevor Grocock, facilities and warehouse manager at Barnsley Hospice said: “The hospice relies heavily on volunteering and having the support of Marks and Spencer Barnsley has been invaluable we couldn’t have done it without their funding and the time they have dedicated to the project.”

Six volunteers from the Cortonwood store also helped to renovate the sports hall at the YMCA in Barnsley. The centre provides after school and holiday clubs for children aged five to 19 which are free and provide a safe space where young people can enjoy activities and make friends.

Mike Stead, administrator at the YMCA, said: “They made it a better space for the young people. The changing rooms were painted and made cleaner and fresher. They also repainted the lines on the pitch which will make playing games easier. Hopefully the revamp will attract some other community groups that might want to use the space as well.”