Throughout 2014 Leeds Building Society has undertaken a School Partnership Associate secondment opportunity at Leeds Rhinos Foundation, the official charity of Leeds Rhinos delivering projects in the heart of the community.
As a result of the success of this initiative for both parties it has been decided to offer this initiative again for 2015, and the Society is currently finalising its recruitment for a colleague to begin the role in January.
The Leeds Building Society colleague undertaking the secondment at Leeds Rhinos Foundation during 2014 has been Siobhan Walpole, from the mutual's Collections department. The key projects she has worked on have included 'The 2014 Grand Prize Draw', 'Run with the Rhinos' and 'Children's Day'. Siobhan has also helped with a wide variety of other activities, from helping to organise half time teams to attending press conferences.
Siobhan commented: "During 2014 I have gained experience in a wide variety of tasks and exposure to new workplace situations. I have been involved with planning and running of both small and large scale events, along with general administration and support for internal colleagues.
"One such large scale event I was involved with was the Children's Day which attracted over 5,500 people. Held at Headingley Carnegie stadium, I supported with the organisation of the event and co-ordinated activities including archery, basketball, and wheelchair rugby. I helped co-ordinate a Grand Prize Draw with a trip of a lifetime to Sydney to watch the National Rugby League final as the main prize. I was also involved with co-ordinating the Leeds 10K Run with the Rhinos team which attracted 130 people.
"During my time at Leeds Rhinos Foundation I have learnt many new skills, including liaising with internal and external stakeholders and managing multiple events. Parts of the role have definitely stretched me, and seeing events complete successfully and watching the enjoyment and benefits they have generated has been extremely rewarding."
Becky Hewitt, Leeds Building Society's General Manager – People said: "We are delighted with the success of this initiative, Siobhan has really enjoyed it and it has been excellent for her personal development. She has been involved with three major projects for Leeds Rugby Foundation, and the fact the secondment opportunity will again take place in 2015 is testament to the success she has had with these objectives. Our recruitment for the School Partnership Associate role for next year is almost complete, with ourselves and Leeds Rugby Foundation confident of another great success."