Last Saturday, Corporate Solidarity Day (CSD) had its eighth outing and this time saw more than a thousand volunteers take part from a variety of companies who, between them, managed to benefit more than twelve thousand people in this country, both directly and indirectly. AXA, Cetelem, Enagás, RENFE, Electrolux, Leche Pascual and Disney were just some of the companies taking part in this solidarity day which was held simultaneously in Madrid, Bilbao, Seville, Valencia, Saragossa, La Coruña and, for the first time, in Vigo, Malaga and Valladolid.

Corporate Solidarity Day, organised by Atresmedia and the Cooperación Internacional NGO, is sponsored by Iberdrola and works in collaboration with UPS, the Adecco Foundation (in disability issues in Madrid and Valencia) and Madrid's Directorate General of Volunteering and Cooperation for Development.

On Saturday morning more than a thousand volunteers from forty-six companies took part in a variety of social projects with sixty Non-Profit Organisations (NPO) helping various groups at risk of social exclusion. The number of social organisations was up by 40% compared to 2013. Those with disabilities, the elderly, the homeless, sick children and young people in the course of inclusion are just some of the groups which received assistance during this corporate volunteering day.

However, as Iciar Lumbreras, director of Corporate Development at the Cooperación Internacional NGO, explains, "as well as directly helping several vulnerable groups in these challenging times, Corporate Solidarity Day is also an opportunity for companies and NGOs to get to know each other, making us more aware of our solidarity potential and giving rise to future collaborations".

This event promotes corporate volunteering and the creation of awareness of real problems that surround us, from the world of business. The workplace, where so many hours are spent each day, can be the perfect place to channel employee interest into helping with social change and thus increase their concern for others. This can be done with the backing and support of their companies.

Corporate Solidarity Day "is a useful tool for companies, whether big or small, to find out about corporate volunteering, giving them the chance to get involved in the betterment of our society. At Atresmedia we don't just push corporate volunteering internally, but we help to promote and diffuse it through our media outlets", notes Susana Gato, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Atresmedia.