The power of giving back: How we're making a difference through volunteering
6 October 2026
As a business, we’re focused on helping our customers every day. But our role in supporting communities goes beyond the energy and services we provide.
British Gas volunteering plays an important part in this wider contribution. Across the business, colleagues give their time, raise funds for important causes and work alongside charity partners to support people facing a range of challenges. Together, these efforts help strengthen communities, support vulnerable households and create positive change across the UK.
Let’s take a look at some of the ways our people are giving back.
Supporting communities across the UK is at the heart of what we do
At British Gas, we believe in making the world around us better. But it’s not just something we do occasionally. Through our People & Planet Plan, we have committed to inspiring colleagues to contribute 100,000 volunteering days by 2030, playing our part in creating a greener, fairer future for the communities we serve.
In 2025 alone, colleagues across British Gas and the broader Centrica group delivered more than 10,500 volunteering days, supporting over 800 local good causes across the UK. Together, we also donated and fundraised £4.8 million for local and national charitable organisations, while helping launch 10 new community initiatives through our Energy for Tomorrow fund.
But doing good isn’t just about statistics. The numbers tell an important story, but the people behind them – our colleagues, charity partners, and community organisations – bring that impact to life.
The Multibank partnership: Supporting families across the UK
Partnerships are an important part of how we support communities, helping us extend our reach and deliver meaningful impact alongside organisations that share our values. One example is our £2.4 million, three-year partnership with The Multibank, announced in 2026 to help support families experiencing poverty across the UK.
The Multibank redistributes essential household items, from bedding and clothing to furniture and hygiene products, through a network of community organisations. Since launching in 2022, it has helped more than two million families access the practical support they need.
Through our partnership, we're helping to expand The Multibank's reach while also connecting families to energy-related support through the British Gas Energy Trust, helping people to access support when they need it most.
British Gas colleagues volunteering in their communities
While our partnerships help us support communities at scale, it’s often our colleagues who bring that impact to life through volunteering.
Every employee at British Gas is given two paid volunteering days each year to support causes they care about, whether that’s helping at local community initiatives, supporting charitable organisations, or sharing their skills. To support these efforts, we also have a £2m fund dedicated to supporting smaller charities, as decided by a colleague vote in 2022 – and to date, over 3000 causes have been supported.
Volunteering is one of those rare opportunities where everyone benefits. As colleagues, we're able to step away from our day-to-day roles, spend time together in a different environment and contribute to something that makes a genuine difference in the local community.
One of the projects we organised recently is a volunteering day at Ashridge Estate, where we helped with practical conservation work. It's a simple idea, but it's a chance to give something back while bringing the team together around a shared purpose.
I think sometimes people want to get involved but aren't always sure where to start. That's why opportunities like this are so important. They show that making a difference doesn't have to be complicated. By giving a little of our time, we can support organisations doing great work in our communities while creating stronger connections with our colleagues at the same time.
I love that I’m able to use volunteering leave to support Age UK as a Telephone Friend. Building a connection with someone through regular conversations is really rewarding, and knowing they look forward to our chats makes it all the more meaningful. It’s a simple way to give back, but it feels like you’re making a real difference.
Whether it’s a few hours spent supporting a grassroots charity project or an ongoing commitment to a community initiative, every volunteering opportunity helps our business to give back – and allows our colleagues to make a meaningful difference.
Making a difference together
Our vision is a greener, fairer future for everyone, and we believe in doing the right thing both for our customers and our wider communities. Whether through volunteering, fundraising or partnerships like The Multibank, the dedication of our colleagues and community partners makes this impact possible.
Find out more about the British Gas volunteering commitment and its social impact today.
In this article
Supporting communities across the UK is at the heart of what we do
Supporting families across the UK
British Gas colleagues volunteering in their communities
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