2020 has been a year to forget in many ways, but we do have some really good news to share 😊

We're super proud to announce our new Zest For Life (ZFL) initiative with the sole aim of giving back and leaving the world a better place.

Zest has a history of pioneering change in our industry, particularly locally. From our funky office design on one hand, to removing all of that meaningless clutter, taking our business remote-first pre-Covid, and focusing on our people and craft.

We're leading the charge again in the expectation that others will follow 🙏

Like most businesses, we have a duty to build value through growth. But there's more that can be done, and more to life than turning a profit. And so we want every employee, client, and supplier to feel good when working with Zest, and to know that they can contribute through us.

Our ZFL initiative is made up of three Ps; People, Planet, and Philanthropy.

• People - taking care of those who work with us, focusing on mental and physical wellbeing

• Planet - looking after this one magnificent planet we call home

• Philanthropy - supporting good causes to help others

These are the three Ps that we'll support through our actions and will provide a motivating anchor for our business operations moving forwards.

2020 saw our first annual Wellness Day. This day is reserved for our team to focus on their mental and/or physical wellbeing.

The day included group yoga, a team bake-off, refurbished alloy wheels, an upcycled chest of drawers, a reupholstered chair, a garden clearance, and a socially distanced kickabout, to name a few.Another special day, which we've named as our Contribution Day, as An entire day per team member, dedicated to the selfless act of helping others from volunteering to fundraising.

We've broken the planet down into two simple components; land and sea (shock!)And so the next natural question was, 'how can we do our bit?'.

So far this year, we've planted 262 trees and have removed 24.51 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere via our partnership with the Ecologi project. We have set an initial target of 1,000 trees to be planted by the end of next year.

We have committed to removing the equivalent of 240 football pitches worth of plastic from our oceans over a 2-year period, via our partnership with The Ocean Cleanup Project.

Helping these two fantastic causes make us feel really, really, good. The more that we can help businesses to grow, the more we'll give back!

We have made regular donations to Victoria's Promise for over 5 years now. VP are one of our chosen charities supporting young women through cancer and it's a charity close to our hearts. We're very proud to sponsor their activities.

Earlier this year, we were humbled by tragic news that a friend had received in June 2020. We were able to donate £250 privately to support a young mother diagnosed with Glioblastoma.

Glioblastoma is a Grade 4 (the worst, most aggressive, technically incurable) brain cancer, and our small donation contributes towards a target of £50,000, which will help to pay for world-leading research and treatment.

They're so close! If you fancy giving this Christmas, I know that Tom and Jocelyn would be so grateful for your support.

Whilst not this year, we have always supported local charities. Zest For Life just gives our actions a little more focus and enables the whole team to come together and to decide on the most important causes that we want to support.

In 2019, we were so very proud to have raised c£20,000 for local charity, SeeSaw, as part of a collective of 14 other businesses. Many of us had also taken part in the 2015 fire walk across hot coals!..

Here is what Jane Elliott, a very well loved fundraiser for SeeSaw had to say:

"Zest how continuously shown what a caring and ethical business they are by turning out for events and challenges (no matter how crazy they seem!) to raise money for the families that we support. As a charity, SeeSaw depends on donations to keep going, and Zest Digital has been a loyal supporter of the charity for several years." Jane Elliott - Fundraiser for SeeSaw

So how does Zest For Life fit into our future?:

• We'll continue to focus on ensuring the both the mental and physical wellbeing of our team is front of mind. When actions are taken and decision are made, they'll have to pass our 'People' test.

• We'll take a different perspective on financial goals. We recognise that, whilst important, financial goals rarely get the best out of people. Instead, we'll lead with ways that we can deliver with more purpose.

• Zest will continue to support charities close to its heart, and we'll combine this with our People focus too, offering the team an opportunity to make a difference to their own chosen causes too.

So that's us - bringing a Zest For Life through the work that we do, and putting more of those feel good vibes back into the world!