Delivering long-term community impact through strategic corporate volunteering

Dream Care Farm CIC is a not-for-profit therapeutic farm based in Suffolk, supporting individuals (particularly young people) with additional needs, disabilities, and complex emotional backgrounds. The farm provides structured programmes around animal care, horticulture, and farm work to help build confidence, life skills, and a sense of belonging.

However, Dream Care farm faced a major accessibility barrier: its entrance was an unsafe, temporary track that was barely usable. Flooding, mud, and poor road conditions made vehicle access extremely difficult in bad weather.

This lack of safe access:

• Restricted visitors, deliveries, volunteers, and emergency services

• Prevented individuals with mobility needs from attending

• Limited the farm’s ability to grow, host events, and operate at full capacity

• Blocked opportunities for further support and development

Without addressing this issue, the farm’s long-term vision for community support couldn’t be realised.

The challenge at Dream Care Farm required:

• Technical and engineering expertise

• Long-term planning and coordination

• Regulatory and environmental approvals

• Traffic management and ecological compliance

A one-day volunteering activity couldn’t have removed the core barrier facing the farm. Instead, the team needed a sustained, skills-based project delivered over time. BUUK worked with OnHand as a CSR partner to enable meaningful engagement over the project’s six-month period.

Led by Kim Lockwood, Construction Administration Manager at BUUK, more than 70 members of staff from different BUUK departments and partner companies contributed their volunteering hours over a six-month period.

The project’s objective was to create a safe, permanent, and accessible entrance to Dream Care Farm, removing a fundamental barrier to its operation and growth. It formed part of BUUK’s wider volunteering programme, supported by OnHand, enabling employees to contribute in ways that matched their skills, availability, and abilities.

Over the course of the project, volunteers:

• Reinstated the farm entrance to its original location

• Constructed a 10-metre, highway-standard surfaced entrance

• Installed a fully functioning drainage system

• Enabled vehicle access for buses and emergency services

In addition to the entrance build, volunteers:

• Cleared land

• Painted fences

• Repaired animal enclosures

• Planted produce beds

• Set up sensory areas

Participation was inclusive, allowing employees to contribute regardless of their skillset or physical ability.

The Dream Care Farm project drew on a wide range of BUUK employees’ professional skills, including:

• Engineering

• Project planning

• Traffic management

• Ecological and environmental compliance

• Scheduling and logistics

Behind the scenes, significant work was also required to manage the project. This included:

• Building detailed schedules

• Leveraging supplier relationships

• Managing scope and phased delivery

• Navigating planning and regulatory requirements

Through its partnership with OnHand, BUUK was able to structure volunteering activity over time, align professional skills to meet community needs, and support project delivery that met the correct requirements.

On top of this, Kim Lockwood took a leading role in:

• Organising temporary road closures

• Obtaining wildlife and conservation certificates

• Securing a Section 278 permit

• Liaising with local authorities and planning departments

Commercial partners were encouraged to donate equipment, materials, and expertise, turning supply-chain relationships into coordinated community action.

Project outputs

• 500+ volunteering hours contributed

• 70+ employees involved

• £50,000+ saved in labour, equipment, and materials

• A safe, permanent, highway-standard entrance to the farm

The new entrance has had a foundational impact on Dream Care Farm.

As a result of this project:

• The farm can now safely welcome more visitors

• School and care groups can visit reliably

• Deliveries and produce collections can take place without disruption

• Volunteers and supporters no longer face access and safety concerns

The project removed a fundamental barrier to the farm’s operation and expansion, unlocking future potential for growth and increased community support.

Ongoing site improvement activities are still underway, with BUUK teams continuing to provide maintenance, upgrades, and follow-up visits.

The collaboration between BUUK and Dream Care Farm is expected to continue into the future.

Dream Care Farm Manager Sue said: “Kim took the stress of the last few years away from me. She fought hard with planners and councils, and her determination meant everything. Without her, this wouldn’t have happened.”

The project had a significant impact within BUUK.

Volunteering wasn’t treated as a top-down directive, but as a shared initiative driven by ownership, leadership, and collaboration. Employees from across departments and partner organisations worked together, many returning multiple times over the course of the project.

Supported by OnHand, BUUK’s volunteering programme is designed to empower employees to lead meaningful projects, collaborate across teams, and embed social impact into day-to-day business activity.

The Dream Care Farm initiative:

• Strengthened cross-functional collaboration

• Created new connections across BUUK and its supply chain

• Gave employees a renewed sense of purpose and pride

• Demonstrated how professional skills can be used for social good

As one volunteer reflected:

“It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done all year. We built something that really matters.”