Lyreco and Riverside had been working closely with Eleanor Watts on how we could help fund one of the social value projects called the GROW Programme. Following several meetings, I visited the Mustard Tree site to see firsthand what the project was about and was quite shocked at first when the staff were explaining how this project worked and the reasons behind this project.

I did feel quite humbled especially when I arrived in a company car wearing a suit not knowing what to expect and then saw the people coming into the Mustard Tree and what some of them go through on a day-to-day basis and the great work the volunteers do to help people suffering from homelessness.

This is when I met George and heard his story and how Lyreco’s funding has made a massive difference in his life as he was homeless himself at one point. Sitting down with George and listening to his story and the Riverside GROW team gave me a real sense of pride knowing the difference these kinds of projects can bring and fundamentally change people’s lives to get them back into work and earn money for the great work they do for other homeless people.

This project has only made me want to work even closer to Riverside to see if this can be replicated again for more of the volunteers to get back into the workflow and change more people’s lives for the better.

Paul Driver
National Account Manager – Public Sector
Lyreco UK & Ireland