Planting day at Mayesbrook Park, Dagenham with Manor Junior School
September 2011
Santander staff from all over the world took part in a unique teambuilding event which brought together employees from 16 different countries to undertake a 110 mile run.
The international team also had the chance to contribute to the legacy of the 2012 Olympic Games, taking place in London next summer. Part of the visit involved the team undertaking a volunteering project with pupils from Manor Junior School to plant trees in Mayesbrook Park, a 110-acre park in the east of London which is one of the Olympic legacy sites.
Pupils from Manor Junior, Sandringham Road, Barking, joined Santander staff to plant a total of 340 saplings. Headteacher Caroline Drumm said: “It was a fantastic opportunity for the children.”
The 60 employees won competitions to take part in the event and represent more than 200,000 staff at one of the world's biggest banks. The international team raced from London to Santander's main office in the East Midlands as part of a global HR initiative to raise awareness of the company's values.
"The third annual 'Santander is you Race' demonstrates once again that team work, determination and ambition are core values shared by staff in the Santander Group," said José Luis Gómez Alciturri, Senior Executive Vice President of Santander and Director of the Human Resources division.
Simon Lloyd, HR Director at Santander UK said, "This event enables us to promote the benefits of working for Santander as well as raise awareness of our values in an active and engaging way. The run, held in a different country each year, allows staff who would generally otherwise not ever meet, to share best practices and develop closer working relationships."