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Written by The McCarthy's Team on December 20, 2018

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We’ve talked a few times on the blog about our 50 Good Deeds Challenge. At the start of our 50^th birthday year (how is it nearly over?) we decided we would make sure we did 50 good deeds involving the local community, charities, customers and employees – doing our little bit to make someone’s day brighter.

And that’s exactly what we’ve done! We’re very proud to announce that we have completed our 50 good deeds – although we have no plans to call it a day…

The things we’ve done have been varied, and we’ve tried to help people in a range of different ways. It started with the St Gemma’s Christmas Tree Collection, which we’re about to help with again – 12 months fly by when you’re having fun!

We’ve providing free self storage space for charities such as Candlelighters, Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Meanwood Valley Farm. We’ve organised collections for food bank donations, shoeboxes for the homeless, blankets for dog kennels, glasses for those who can’t afford them and Christmas gifts for children in hospital.

Some of our Monthly Moments

January – St Gemma’s Christmas Tree collection. Providing St Gemma’s Hospice in Leeds access to one of our removal vans and drivers to collect Christmas trees across Leeds. This helped St Gemma’s collect over 1400 Christmas trees and raise over £18,000

February – Storage World Wakefield collect towels in-branch to be passed on to Flushdyke Kennels

March – Both Candlelighters and Yorkshire Air Ambulance are provided free storage units in Leeds and Harrogate respectively.

April – Food bank donation points set up in each storage branch to be donated to food banks in Leeds, Harrogate & Wakefield.

May – Proud match ball sponsors of Jodie Willsher memorial rugby match at Skipton Rugby Club. Estimator John Shaw also refereed the game.

June – Staff celebration event for Fay Chapman who retired after 27 years of service to the company.

July – Sponsorship of Kirkstall Carnival.

August – Wayne Winfield visits Leeds Children’s Hospital as a Star Wars Storm Trooper to help 4 year old Matthew mark the end of his radiotherapy.

September – Sarah & Lesa of the Storage World Leeds branch sleep rough outside the Royal Armouries museum in support of Simon on the Streets.

October – Estimator Tony Cocksedge completes Sober October in support of Macmillan.

November – Free storage unit provided to Meanwood Urban Valley Farm to keep items safe and secure over winter.

December – The company donates free removal boxes to the KidsOut charity to support their Christmas appeal.

Our wonderful colleagues have risen to the challenge, and we encouraged them to take time out to volunteer. Sarah and Lesa slept rough to raise money for Simon on the Streets, Wayne visited a young patient in hospital who was finishing his radiotherapy (in his Storm Trooper outfit and with some of his Star Wars pals!). Vicky and Paul offered extra pairs of hands at Harrogate Homeless Project, Barbara volunteered at The Zone, Ann helped with a collection for MacMillan at M&S and Wendi ran a 10K for Wakefield Hospice. They’re a generous bunch our team!

Further good deeds have included random acts of kindness for removals, storage or shredding customers, from slipping a gift voucher under the door of a storage unit or helping a customer we felt deserved it, to handing out treats and goodies – cupcakes or Easter eggs anyone? Various fundraising activities have also taken place, including for Children in Need, Macmillan Cancer Support, Outwood Stroke Association, Save the Children and Jeans for Genes.

We’ve also sponsored community events including Kirkstall Festival and Ilkley Carnival, and helped at local amateur sports events or memorial matches, by sponsoring balls or players, or even providing a referee – thanks John!

We really can think of no better way to celebrate our fiftieth year in business in Yorkshire than by getting involved in helping more people within our community. That may just have been bringing a smile to a face with an unexpected treat or giving our time, money or more practical assistance to those in need. Big or small, hopefully it made a difference.

But just because our birthday year is coming to an end, the good deeds are most certainly not. We’ll keep on offering support to charities, community groups and events which need it and will always help if we can.

So, as we come to the end of our 50^th year – we wish you all a very merry Christmas, and here’s hoping for a healthy and happy 2019. Our 51^st year in business. Cheers to that!