Shire colleagues dig for children's charity Sebastian's Action Trust (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Colleagues from Basingstoke-based Shire dig for children's respite holiday house The Bluebells

7:00am Sunday 29th July 2012 in Business By Richard Garfield

TWELVE Shire employees spent two days working on the gardens at a children’s holiday respite house in North Waltham.
The team, who normally work at the biopharmaceutical company, at Hampshire International Business Park, in Chineham, took time out from their normal duties to help at The Bluebells, established and run by children’s charity Sebastian’s Action Trust.
Two teams of six volun-teers each spent a day digging, weeding and improving the soil in the woodland area of the garden, where the trust hopes to create a wood-land trail and separate remembrance garden next year.
Sian Hart, who works as part of Shire’s Global Regulatory Affairs team, suggested that colleagues take on the garden project at The Bluebells for their annual volunteer day after visiting her twin nephews, who have complex respi-ratory conditions, there for a day in April.
Sian said: “I was struck by what a fantastic place The Bluebells is for children with life-limiting illnesses.
“The children can come and spend some much needed respite with their families in such excellent surroundings with wonderful facilities.
“I had such a fun day there with my husband and our own children and saw how much it meant to my brother-in-law Tony, his wife Gemma and their identical twins Noah and Freddie, that I wanted to try and give something back.”
Action Trust director Jane Gates said: “We’re very grateful to Shire for allowing their employees to use their working day to come and help the trust and to the two teams of colleagues for all the hard work they put in over the two days – they have made a real difference.
“We would love to work with Shire again in the future, and hope that their employees share our sense of pride in making The Bluebells such a special place.”