Kingston's sociable worker

When a huge fire broke out at the Cambridge estate in Kingston-upon-Thames last year, an unlikely 'fifth emergency service' was scrambled together by Lene Wood, Community Liaison Co-ordinator at the town's John Lewis branch.

'I was cycling home from work and went right past the estate just as the blaze was taking hold,' Lene recalls. 'I phoned the Kingston branch straightaway, and we started organising food and supplies to help the 60 families who had been evacuated from the building.'

In the end, John Lewis Kingston supported the evacuated tenants for weeks after the fire, and the 'fifth emergency service' moniker was coined by the local community.

'It generated some great PR for us,' Lene continues, 'but, more importantly, it was incredibly rewarding to be able to really help these stricken families. It's the sort of thing John Lewis does for its local communities.'

Nomination stations

It's this kind of quick thinking and responsiveness that defines Lene's day-to-day work. 'The variety of the job is absolutely the best thing about it,' she says. 'Requests for help come in all the time, so a big part of my work is to be adaptable and prepared for pretty much anything.'

Alongside this, there are more ongoing projects, such as the branch's new Community Room, converted from space previously used to store stock. 'It can accommodate up to 20 people, and local community groups and charities can hold meetings or conduct business here free of charge,' says Lene.

'It's an absolutely invaluable resource, especially for smaller charities who've been amazed that John Lewis offer help in this way. It's one more thing that marks us out as different.'

Growing your own greens

Looking ahead, this year includes a scheme with Capital Growth, where Partners will have 'allotments' on the shop's roof garden. 'Our goal is to grow vegetables that our chefs will use to cook meals for the homeless once a month.'

It's part of a national Capital Growth scheme to create 2,012 new community food-growing spaces across London by the end of 2012.

'I applied to the Mayor of London's office for a grant, which we'll use to plant the roof with vegetables, and possibly install a beehive,' says Lene. 'It demonstrates all three pillars of John Lewis's CSR policy 'Bringing Quality to Life' - doing business better, encouraging sustainability and forging community links.'

Second time round

But there is one particular aspect of CSR that really appeals to Lene. 'I'm a demon for recycling,' she admits. 'One of our most successful partnerships is with Kingston Community Furniture, to whom we donate all our damaged and end-of-line furniture, as well as left-over carpets and paint.

'These are repaired and sold on by the charity to local people in need. Last year, they raised £45,000 in the process for worthy causes. It's a brilliant way of making the best use of things we'd otherwise just get rid of - and I definitely have a thing about not throwing anything away!'

This clever tie-in is just one of the ways Lene has succeeded in getting Partners, charities and customers working together. 'We've had other successes, such as the work we've done with two local hospitals' breast cancer units,' she adds.

'Customer and Partner efforts have raised funds and awareness, while we've had nurses visit the branch to give advice and in return lingerie Partners visit the hospital to help patients with fittings.'

As Lene puts it: 'We're giving better customer service and helping a charity at the same time. It's a perfect partnership - and that's what we're all about.'