The Festive season is approaching and for one of the CRM team of accountants in particular, it’s a very busy time of year. We caught up with Director Noel Heaven to find out more about the vital volunteering work he does in the Oxford community.
Noel uses the three hours per month volunteering time given by CRM to all employees as Treasurer and Trustee of Oxford Food Hub and this year, the work of the charity has grown and grown. Noel explained: “We changed the charity’s name from Oxford Food Bank earlier this year so that it better describes what we do – we distribute food to over 150 charities and community organisations at no cost so that they can use their funds to help more people rather than buying food.
“This year we have expanded into another premises and are growing our fleet of vans (another electric vehicle coming soon) – a far cry from when I started volunteering in 2008 and they were operating from the back of a car!
“I’m proud of the Food Hub’s work to reduce food waste and tackle food poverty in Oxfordshire. In 2020 we supplied over 600 tonnes of produce to charities like hospices and community groups and this has increased even more since then. I’m amazed to see the creativity the groups apply to producing delicious meals and teaching others too.”
Noel’s busy role with Oxford Food Hub involves monthly Trustee meetings, preparing the management and annual accounts and managing the payroll, which is a big commitment of his spare time.
Noel’s other charitable commitment is with the Salvation Army, his second family, where he plays the cornet and sings in the choir. Many people will recognise the Salvation Army band when they play Christmas carols outside Marks & Spencer in the festive season. Noel will be joining his bandmates on the four Sundays leading up to Christmas again in 2022, raising vital funds to support the work of the Salvation Army in the local community.
With over 30 years at CRM, Noel has worked with many charities and community groups and he still helps to manage the accounts of various charities along with supporting the junior accountants with the firm’s varied client work.
Noel and the team have a wealth of experience in the charity and small business sector and are the trusted accountancy partner for organisations across the county. For friendly, dependable financial assistance, contact CRM at 01865 379272.