Weldmar Hospicecare is a values based organisation, and our Values are intrinsic to all that we do. ‘We care for the people we support, who support us, each other and ourselves’, caring is one of our four main core Values, this means that we also care about the community and environment the people we care for, and their loved ones, live in and the legacy that we will leave for the future. Being adaptable is another of our Values and being able to improve and develop, considering new ways and initiatives to provide our services in a greener, more sustainable way, is extremely important to us.
We already do quite a lot to reduce our carbon footprint but our aspirations are big, where we can help protect our planet for future generations and for the long term impact across the organisation; in palliative care, in retail, in the office environment.
Below are just a few of the ways and initiatives that we are working on to be more sustainable:
Weldmar’s Sustainability Group
Weldmar has an Environmental Sustainability Group, members are staff and volunteers, from across the organisation, who are interested in all matters green, identifying where Weldmar could make a change, however small.
Championing sustainable shopping
339,000 tons of textiles were kept out of landfill in 2018/19 in the UK thanks to charity shops.
Fast fashion is responsible for 10% of global carbon emissions every year, charity shopping helps slow down fast fashion by offering quality items at affordable prices. We have a chain of charity shops across Dorset, including five larger outlets that sell furniture. We also have an Ebay shop online, perfect to find some new-to-you treasures when our other shops are shut. Our charity shops also recycle any clothing that isn’t fit for sale ensuring more items are kept out of landfill.
We know how important it is for our supporters to keep in touch and send seasonal greetings to friends and family, but we also want to be mindful on the impact to the environment, so all the Christmas cards that we sell our made from recycled materials.
Reducing food waste at our Inpatient Unit
Weldmar partners with FareShare, the leading food repurposing charity in the UK. FareShare believe that no good food should go to waste, and redistribute surplus food to charities that turn it into meals. Current regular FareShare partners who donate to Weldmar include ASDA Stores, Booker Wholesale, Nando’s and a new addition KFC.
Every day the main kitchens at the Inpatient Unit repurpose suitable donated items to create snacks, sandwiches, desserts, and a range of freshly prepared staff & visitor meals in the Orangery restaurant. The income raised from the sale of these goods is used to purchase luxury food items and treats for our patients, both at the Inpatient Unit and for those using our Wellbeing Support Sessions, which wouldn’t normally be part of the menu.
Christmas Tree Recycling
When planning our fundraising events and initiatives we consider not only how they can raise funds to help provide our services, but also have a positive impact on the environment. For example, our Treecycle initiative, held every January for the past five years, has collected thousands of trees, which are chipped by Knighton Countryside Management and turned into biomass fuel, which is a renewable energy source. We are extremely grateful to Trinity Street Christmas Trees for supporting us with this scheme.
Our Inpatient Unit
Finally we wouldn’t be able to talk about sustainability at Weldmar without mentioning just some of the many ways that we are working to be greener and more sustainable at our Inpatient Unit in Dorchester, at our Trimar House headquarters, and across the community:
- Solar panels to help provide power to the Inpatient Unit
- Solar generated power for our Community Outreach Vehicle, which we use to help power events on the meadow at our Inpatient Unit
- LED lighting in all patient rooms and moving to 100% LED lighting across the whole Herringston Road site
- Motion sensor lighting in staff areas
- Electric charging point for vehicles at the Inpatient Unit
- Energy efficient radiators installed
- Online meetings are carried out, where possible, to reduce staff having to travel between locations
- Cycle to work scheme in place for staff
- Recycling bins at all locations
