History

The service, which has been running since 1996, develops partnerships between the public, private and voluntary sectors, enabling both employee volunteers and voluntary organisations to get the most out of their involvement in volunteering.

Since the opening of Volunteer Centre Westminster in 1986 occasional and ad hoc requests came through from employers who knew they wanted to contribute in some way. In 1990 an annual programme of Christmas Challenges was established so that employers could pay for a challenge pack, with charity partners invited to submit project proposals.

In 1996 the Time & Talents partnership was founded by five employers who wanted to collaborate together in order to ensure that their volunteering programmes were designed to be sustainable and to make a real difference. Together they pledged resources for a part time role within the Centre to run the scheme. Since then Time & Talents has continued to grow in memberships and staff team.

The scheme operates as a social enterprise, relying on the annual employer partner financial contribution for its existence.

History of the Employer Partners 1996 - present

• Diageo
• Westminster City Council
• Channel 4
• Shell
• Esso
• American Express
• Home Office
• Department for Education
  
• Cabinet Office
• Cadbury Schweppes
• HM Treasury
• Department for Transport
• Barclays
• PwC
• Aegis
• John Lewis Partnership
• King's College London
• Prudential
• Spencer Stuart
• Turner Broadcasting
• British Land
• Conservative Party
• Avanade
• White Box Digital
• SThree
• Office for Disability Issues
• Defra (Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs)
  
• Hudson
• UK Border Agency
• HM Revenue & Customs
• Ministry of Justice
• Department for Business, Innovation & Skills
• Department of Health
• Land Securities
  
• Telegraph Media Group
• CIMA (Chartered Institute of Management Accountants)
• BlueBay Asset Management
• DECC (Department of Energy and Climate Change)
• Microsoft