NATIONAL Volunteers' Week came early for BT staff in Swindon.

Members of the North Star House-based procurement policy and development department pitched in to paint a corridor at Prospect Hospice in Wroughton.

They chose the project with the help of Swindon Volunteers, after seeking out a team building event which would benefit a good cause.

A nine-strong team ranging from senior managers to admin staff descended on the hospice, determined to make a difference to their community.

They organised everything from measuring the corridor and working out the vast quantity of paint required, to negotiating a special trade price for equipment from Swindon paint wholesaler, Brewers.

BT team leader Alex Coppock said: "This has been a very worthwhile exercise . Everyone in the team has supported the idea wholeheartedly. They all volunteered and are looking forward to getting to know each other in a real life situation and working hard to give something back to the community."

Cathy Lyons, manager of voluntary services at Prospect Hospice, said: "We're absolutely delighted that the team came in. The upstairs corridor hadn't been decorated since we opened on April 1 1995."

Sarah Codd, manager of Swindon Volunteers, said: "It is great to see a business and a charity working together like this. I hope it will lead to further links between the hospice and departments of BT in the future."

National Volunteers' Week runs between June 1 and 7 each year to raise the profile of volunteering.

Swindon Volunteers hopes BT's initiative will provide the impetus for future teams to get involved in volunteering

Prospect Hospice, which runs on a budget of £2.75m a year, gets 70 per cent of its money through fundraising.