Supporting our community is at the heart of our company – it's part of our DNA.
We believe that local businesses have a vital role to play in their communities. We are constantly on the look-out for projects that fit with what we care about as a business and that contribute to the community.'
How we celebrate and support other businesses in our communityWe've dedicated lots of time and energy to our chosen charities and causes over the last year. We're proud of the value that we've been able to add and proud to be part of the wonderful things that these organisations do.
West Oxfordshire Business Awards 2016 were recently launched by David Cameron MP. We’ve been involved in WOBA since it’s inception and are proud to have been founding members and still remember clearly the initial conversation we all had about “starting something to celebrate business achievements in West Oxfordshire”.
Fast forward 5 years and we are still investing our time and experience as a key part of the organising committee. It’s a fantastic organisation – recognising and celebrating local businesses through awards in many different categories. WOBA has some incredible support across the County and helps to motivate and inspire many local businesses.
The Oxfordshire Project is a valuable network of knowledge and support to help local businesses, charities and community groups. Their values are very much in line with our own – helping and supporting each other to thrive as a community and we are happy to dedicate our time to them.
Adventure plus is a Christian charity set up to inspire, educate, challenge and develop young people through adventure activities. Bear Grylls is a patron and the charity offers residentials, adventure days, school activity clubs, church groups, group expeditions and is an approved activity provider for the Duke of Edinburgh Award.
Adventure Plus are a national charity, but based in Oxfordshire. We met them at the very first WOBA event dinner and have worked closely with them ever since. We offer them ongoing technical support as well as manage their servers. We are proud to help support such an inspirational cause.
Cogges Farm is funded by the National Lottery Heritage fund and is an important part of the Witney community. Rich in history – the manor house dates back to the 13th Century and appears in the Domesday Book of 1086. Its profile has been heightened thanks to various TV film companies using the farm as a location for period dramas including Downton Abbey.
Olamalu built and host the Cogges Farm website and are very supportive of their presence in the Witney community.
World Pooh sticks. Olamalu built the website for the World Pooh Sticks championships several years ago and have stayed in contact ever since. This quirky charity (organised by the Rotary Club of Oxford Spires) has always had a special place in our hearts and has recently re-located to Witney. The Championships will be run in partnership with Cogges Farm at Langel Common on the River Windrush and we are delighted.
This may feel like a lot for a busy business and we are often asked how we manage to fit everything in? Our simple answer is that it's an integral part of the way we work. Because it's important to us, we prioritise it. Giving something back to the local community, supporting other businesses and dedicating time and energy to charities is a key part of our business focus.
If you are a micro business, you might feel that this is all too daunting and maybe actually impossible. But don’t give up, there are ways to give back without sending your business into a spin. For instance, The Oxfordshire Project has set up a charity arm where businesses can work together to make a difference. This is a great way for smaller businesses to make a difference together in the community. They create a buzz for the causes they are helping as well as themselves, but don’t feel over stretched.
Here at Olamalu we will continue to give our time and resources to our local community.
Through the contributions that businesses like ours make, we are building a stronger community, a better place to work and a better place for all of us to live.
There is no better feeling than seeing the time you are investing make a real difference. Over time, we’ve seen some big changes and firmly believe that these are relationships we’ve forged for the long term. We can’t wait to see what the future brings.