CSR and social value – Sandwell Business Growth

Community centre car park: making life easier

Fitzgerald Contractors worked with North Smethwick Development Trust (NSDT) to renovate the car park at the Brasshouse Community Centre.

The car park at the community centre on Brasshouse Lane in Smethwick was in need of renovation. It was covered in potholes, and had no designated parking spaces. This had been causing problems for staff and visitors for many years.

A localised approach

When carrying out social value projects, Fitzgerald always looks to support something specific and unique to the community it is working in. After discussions, Sandwell Council’s Social Value Team put Fitzgerald in touch with NSDT, which manages the Brasshouse Community Centre.

Steve Jones, Fitzgerald’s contract manager, made an initial site visit, and work began at the end of June. By Monday 1 July the car park was pothole-free and marked up with clear parking spaces.

Benefits to the whole community

Jennifer Harrison, chief executive of NSDT, said: “I want to give a big thank you to all involved. We are extremely grateful to Fitzgerald Contractors and Sandwell Council’s social value team working together to make this happen. The new look car park will maximise our space to avoid parking issues in the surrounding area. It will make life a little easier for all our visitors and neighbours in the future.”

Steve Jones said: “It’s been a pleasure to work on this project. We always like to construct a great outcome and obviously bring a greater benefit to the people and communities we work with.”

Can your business help renovate community facilities?

Our Sandwell Business Growth Team can help match you with a local partner to help make a big difference in the borough.

Market garden kindness: bringing new kitchen facilities to the community

MCP Property Services worked with a local market garden to install new kitchen facilities on site.

Established in 1978, MCP Property Services carries out repairs and building work across the country from its base in Hertford. As a contractor on a number of projects in Sandwell, it was keen to fulfil its social value commitment to our local communities.

Karen and Michael from Sandwell Council’s Social Value Team matched MCP with Salop Drive Market Garden and Allotments in Oldbury. This is a three-acre working market garden and local food project. People of all ages and abilities can get involved and learn about where food comes from. It also supplies bags of freshly grown vegetables to local households.

Adding cooking facilities

Facilities at the Salop Drive Market Garden site include a classroom, toilets and handwashing facilities. However, there was no kitchen and the community hub also needed renovation. MCP Property Services look on the task of installing a kitchen and making some repairs to doors, at a cost of nearly £4,700.

Pictured below mid-construction are (from left to right) Anna West from MCP, Jamie Upton Speed from Ideal for All, Khatija Patel from Ideal for All, Rosie Hughes from MCP, Karen Richards from Sandwell Council, Demi Hayes from MCP, Richard Kemp ‘The Kitchen Guy’ and Louis Jones from MCP.

MCP and Ideal for All members standing in the half-constructed kitchen

Rosie Hughes, community development manager for MCP, said: “It is great to see how this well-deserved project goes on to benefit and support the wider community. It’s such a pleasure to be part of this.”

Ideal For All runs the Salop Drive Market Garden. Jamie Upton Speed, its senior horticulturist, said: “It’s been great. We can’t thank MCP enough for their generous support. People of all ages come and have fun, exploring the produce of our allotments. Now they can cook what we grow in the new kitchen.”

Can your business help upgrade community facilities?

Our Sandwell Business Growth Team can help put you in touch with projects that bring social and environmental benefits to people in the borough.

Adopt a school: business and education helping each other

Sandwell’s ‘Adopt a School’ initiative matches businesses with local schools to make early connections and help pupils transition into employment.

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills recognises that “businesses working in partnership with schools create more work experience opportunities, working alongside practical curriculum materials, STEM projects and inspirational career talks. This brings about enrichment programmes and understanding of the real world of work”.

This works well with Sandwell Council’s strong social value agenda – which encourages businesses to give back to the communities in which they deliver contracts.

In Sandwell, we encourage key contractors to pair with schools in their area of works. This creates a relationship for the life of the contract, and sometimes beyond. The activities offered can include mock interviews, taster sessions and work experience.

MCP and Holly Lodge High School

MCP is a privately-owned housing maintenance SME. Sandwell’s Social Value Team paired MCP with Holly Lodge High School in Smethwick where the company sponsored an award for ‘Vision and Ethos of Community, Opportunity, Ambition’. Tanya Sharma picked up the prize; she is pictured here with senior assistant head teacher Kelly Dunn.

MCP will continue to sponsor the award, including a £50 voucher for the winner, for the duration of the contract. The company also took part in a ‘What’s Your Story?’ video initiative. This helped pupils look at potential career paths. MCP staff will also attend careers days, giving talks and mock interviews.

MCP and Annie Lennard Primary School

The business also led an initiative at Annie Lennard Primary School in Smethwick. It launched a competition to design a ‘welcome to your new home’ card. Prizes will be awarded in November 2024.

Rosie Hughes, MCP’s business development manager, said: “We were keen to establish connections within the local community to ensure our social value was targeted to provide the best possible impact. The social value team at Sandwell Council was instrumental in introducing us to community organisations and local schools. We highly recommend the ‘Adopt A School’ initiative to other suppliers looking to make a positive impact on the local community.”

Can your business help local school children develop their skills and knowledge?

Our Sandwell Business Growth Team can help find the perfect match for your company.

Canal network: involving the community

Sandwell Council worked with regeneration contractor Kier to give local people a seat at the decision-making table.

The improvement of local rivers and canals is an important part of regeneration plans in the borough. Our waterways are part of the transport infrastructure, offer opportunities for exercise and recreation, and play a crucial role in biodiversity.

Part of the Sandwell Regeneration Pipeline Programme funding recently supported a canal works in Rowley Regis. The project involved enhancements to the Old Main Line Canal and Dudley No.2 Canal, making towpaths and access points more accessible and attractive. This also created jobs for local people.

Involving local people in decisions

To support the social value commitment of this contract, Sandwell’s Social Value and Think Sandwell (now Sandwell Business Growth) Teams worked with the principal contractor Kier to recruit local people to the development team. Six local people were recruited by Think Sandwell Employment Officer Anna Bishop to take part in the project, helping shape the project’s infrastructure.

Michael Ditch, Kier’s operations manager, said: “This has been a great opportunity to work with people who live locally and really put passion into their work. Kier will look to continue creating similar opportunities on future programme of works, as it is valuable and rewarding in lots of ways.”

Can your business involve local people in project planning?

Our Sandwell Business Growth Team can help you to work in ways that bring wider social and environment benefits to people and communities.

Pictured left to right: James Swiderski, Jake Blakesley and Peter Brady – three of the local people recruited to the project.

West Midlands Ambulance Hub: delivering social value through construction

Sandwell Council, Stoford and McLaren Construction made sure the development of a new hub for the West Midlands Ambulance Service brought wider community benefits through apprenticeships, internships and schools engagement.

Healthcare premises specialist Assura plc funded the 72,000 square foot, three-storey building on Shidas Lane in Oldbury. Replacing a smaller base in West Bromwich, it is the largest of its kind in the UK, significantly increasing ambulance operational capacity for the Black Country.

The new West Midlands Ambulance Hub accommodates around 350 operational ambulance staff, working shifts. It includes a facility for the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART), as well as fleet maintenance and vehicle preparation areas. It also has an education and training academy, and central stores.

And as we explain here, it not only provides essential emergency services but its construction helped boost skills and career aspirations for local people.

Sandwell Council’s social value drive

All year round, Sandwell Council works hard to encourage social value from businesses – helping to ensure the work they do in Sandwell brings wider educational, social and environmental benefits to the area. In the case of the West Midlands Ambulance Services hub construction, the council was able to get social value commitments from a range of organisations – who delivered on their promises.

This work meant that the hub build created eleven apprenticeships for local people, and generated two internships in construction management.

When electrics company WysePower started work on the site, for example, it took on five apprentices in electrical and plumbing disciplines. McLaren’s social value consultant helped to make this happen, as well as the Employment and Skills Team from Sandwell Council.

Early on in the development, McLaren also engaged with Birmingham City University and offered site visits and talks. The work generated two six-week internships in construction, given to students Reece and Abdul at the university. Both said they found the placement very beneficial. Abdul spent time shadowing different roles, including engineering, design, quantity surveying and site management. He commented that this opened his eyes to the different roles and possibly changed his career aspirations.

Sandwell Council also supported McCoy Contractors, the groundworks company on the project, in recruiting groundworker apprentice, Cameron.

When asked what he enjoyed about his role, Cameron said: “I have really settled into my role at McCoy Contractors. I really enjoy the physical side of the work. I have been allocated to a ‘gang’ on site and I have formed a great friendship with all of the lads that I work with. They trust me and therefore allow me to prepare the pipes or even help lay them. This means that I am always busy, which I believe is key to enjoyment, especially during the apprenticeship stage.”

Sandwell schools engagement

Throughout construction of the new site, McLaren enjoyed a close relationship with Rounds Green Primary School, which is just a few minutes’ walk away.

Project manager Dave Newman and sustainability manager Naomi Warr gave talks to the whole school on sustainability. They also launched a bug house design competition and followed this with class visits to the site.

The judges of the competition were blown away by the standard of entries. So much so that two overall prizes were awarded, in addition to each year group winner. The winning teams went to the site to build the bug houses out of waste materials to encourage biodiversity.

All the winners of the design competition received prizes donated by contractors McCoy and PJ Brickwork.

Roadworks litter pick: bridging the gap between business and social value

Bridge Construction Ltd downed tools for the day on its latest Sandwell project on the A461 to undertake a litter pick.

The team from Bridge Construction Ltd joined forces with our Sandwell Council team to pick up litter along the route of the works taking place on the A461 from Great Bridge to Peake Drive, Tipton. The litter pick formed just part of the company’s social value commitment.

The fifteen-strong team of helpers collected around 25 bin bags of rubbish along the 2.5km of footway on either side of the scheme. Local residents and business owners alike welcomed the initiative.

Civil engineering meets social value

Bridge Construction Ltd is a Midlands-based construction company with a passion for civil engineering. The company has been a contractor on the West Midlands Minor Works Framework for Sandwell and other local authorities in the Black Country for many years.

Its projects range from the simplest to the most complex and technically challenging, from £10k to £2m+. Some of the schemes it has worked on include the access road and car park at Dudley Zoo, and Wednesbury High Street.

Sandwell Council has a strong social value agenda and, as Bridge Construction is equally keen to give back to its local communities, the litter pick seemed like the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Good weather, great job

Senior engineer manager for Sandwell Council Steve Scrivens said: “Bridge Construction Ltd is commissioned to work on the ongoing Active Travel Fund project on the A461. The company kindly agreed to suspend their works and undertake a litter pick of the entire length of the works as part of their social value commitment.

People wearing high vis PPE clothing picking up litter on a road with brown brick buildings on the right.

“The litter pick went really well. There were about fifteen of us and we accumulated quite a few black bags on that Friday afternoon. Thanks to the good weather and a great job accomplished by all.”

Richard Lewis, commercial director of Bridge Construction said: “The day went well. There were 15 helpers from both Bridge Construction and Sandwell Council to help. With over 25 bags of rubbish collected.

“We are looking to help a Sandwell school with erecting fencing next. I’m also happy to have further discussions with the social value team on how we can assist the local community with other social value projects in the future.

“Thank you to the Sandwell Highways team for their great support in getting the works done. And thank you to the Social Value Team for supporting all our community activities.”

Well done to everyone involved!

Sandwell Clothing Bank: introducing a power-ful partner to help a community cause

We introduced our socially minded electrical contractors to a community clothing bank. The resulting partnership has warmed hearts – as well as a church hall in Bearwood.

St. Mary’s Church in Bearwood works with Sandwell Churches Link to host Sandwell Clothing Bank. This community scheme receives and sorts surplus unsold items of clothing and shoes, then distributes them to people who need them the most.

Hosting the Sandwell Clothing Bank brought a new lease of life to the hall at St. Mary’s, which had previously been empty. It has plenty of space to help volunteers do their good work.

St Mary's Church hall before McCann work — *Lots of potential: the hall at St. Mary’s Church in Bearwood, before the electrical work*

However, as the first winter of the partnership approached, it became apparent that the unheated hall could not house clothes in a suitable way. There was a risk that the Sandwell Clothing Bank stock would be affected by cold and damp.

The project had received a donation towards the cost of greenhouse-style heaters. These would prevent the hall temperature from falling below dew point. However, the hall still needed two new radial circuits to run around the perimeter, and new sockets.

‘Community benefits that go on’

Our Business Growth Team had an idea. Sandwell Council has a strong social value agenda and, as a result, we nurture excellent relationships with suppliers who are keen to give back to our local communities.

So Karen Richards, our Community Benefits Coordinator, approached J McCann & Co Ltd, one of Sandwell Council’s street lighting contractors. She asked whether the McCann team could help.

Happily, they could. McCann agreed to install the required electrical infrastructure at no cost to St Mary’s. Electrical engineers Josh and Dean even gave up their free time on a Saturday to complete the work.

Nick Brownlow is a project manager for McCann. He said: “We are always happy to help a good cause, wherever needed, and believe in supporting community benefits that go on supporting long after we move on from our works.”

Karen said: “We are always grateful to our council contractors supporting the council’s social value ethos and bring added value to our communities. We want to thank McCann for their hard work in making this hub a safe warm environment for the Sandwell Clothing Bank to succeed.”

As well as bringing physical warmth for Sandwell Clothing Bank, McCann has given generously to other causes in Sandwell. The company has donated books and given voluntary hours to local primary schools, including through ‘when I grow up’ reading sessions. It also contributed to Sandwell Council’s Christmas gift appeal. We thank the team for their continued generosity.

Can your business help Sandwell Clothing Bank?

James Lynch from Sandwell Church Links said: “Sandwell Clothing Bank are seeking donations of much-needed brand new or good quality supplies of clothes and shoes. We would welcome a conversation with local clothing and shoes outlets, to explore ways in which they might be able to partner with the project.”

Our Sandwell Business Growth Team can put you in touch if needed.

From left to right in the main picture: Josh Beck from J McCann & Co Limited. James Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Sandwell Churches Link. Frank Herbert from St. Mary’s Church. Michael Wragg, Senior Social Value Officer at Sandwell Council. Dean Hodgkins from J McCann & Co Limited.

Windsor Olympus Academy: thanking a contractor for showing bags of generosity

BAM UK & Ireland built the Windsor Olympus Academy – then provided 181 branded bags for the new school’s first intake of students.

Windsor Olympus Academy is a new secondary school in Winson Green, near Smethwick. Having opened in September 2023 to Year 7 students, it will grow yearly to provide education for 900 students.

BAM UK & Ireland was the main contractor for the school’s construction. BAM built to a design created by Maber Architects and Dally Henderson Landscape Architects Ltd. The school comprises a three-storey building and linked two-storey sports hall, together with extensive hard and soft landscaping.

Windsor Olympus Academy has a sport and PE specialism. Its elite sports facilities include a full size all-weather artificial 3G pitch, multi-use games areas and a fitness studio.

A badged school bag for 181 students

Having completed the work, the BAM team wanted to give a little extra to the students embarking on secondary school life at Windsor Olympus Academy. At Sandwell Council, we encourage social value from our contractors, so we were delighted when BAM offered to fund a badged school bag for each of the 181 new Year 7 students.

We also encourage local spending to boost our Sandwell economy, so we further celebrated BAM’s decision to buy the bags from Gogna, a sport and school uniform supplier with a shop in Oldbury.

Michael Wragg is Senior Social Value Officer on our Business Growth Team at Sandwell Council. He said: “Through this funding of a great new bag for the students, BAM also created some increased local spend in the area. Thank you to them – and all contractors to Sandwell Council who give back more to our communities.”

[Pictured outside Gogna premises: Michael Wragg from Sandwell Council, Junior Gogna from Gogna and Phil Eves from BAM Construction.]

From little acorns: bringing a contractor together with the Oak Tree Centre

When the centre manager from the Oak Tree Centre asked Sandwell Council if they could get help in transforming their counselling room, our Social Value Team introduced them to the kind-hearted local team at Axis Europe.

The Oak Tree Centre is a community centre on Tame Road in Brandhall, Oldbury. It offers space and activities for local people, from playgroups to party room hire.

Cosmetic uplift for the Oak Tree Centre

Its Bedford Lounge is a peaceful and safe environment for confidential matters and counselling sessions. The lounge is well loved but, until recently, it was in need of a cosmetic uplift.

Lydia Lamb is the centre manager at the Oak Tree Centre. When Lydia asked Sandwell Council’s Social Value Team about help with transforming the Bedford Lounge, Karen Richards, our Community Benefits Coordinator, was up for the challenge.

‘Even more harmonious’

Karen contacted a council contractor based in Oldbury to see whether they could help with this small task. Axis Europe took it on. The team fully decorated and wallpapered the room, donating a clock and furniture to make it feel even more harmonious.

Lydia said: “We are so thankful for the support from Axis to taking on the Bedford Lounge project, making it far more comfortable and welcoming. We are also grateful to Karen and Beatrice [Axis Europe’s Resident Liaison Officer] in making this happen”.

Bedford Lounge: a clean, light room with light brown leather sofa and modern coffee table with a box of tissues on it

Jodie Shepherd is Axis Europe’s Customer Service Manager. She said: “It is Axis Europe’s pleasure to have supported creating a more relaxed and harmonious environment for the community room used to help and support local families from a wellbeing perspective”.

Passionate about social value

Sandwell Council is passionate about social value. This is the idea that investments we make should bring wider social and environmental benefits to our local communities.

Grey bucket chair at a clean wooden, modern, steel-framed desk: an 'after' picture of the counselling room at the Oak Tree Centre

Social value can take the form of fundraising activities. It can also be the donation of skills, knowledge, labour or time ‘in kind’ for social good. This corporate giving can help a business to foster team spirit, develop skills, grow customer loyalty and even win contracts. Many suppliers are keen to get involved, so our Social Value Team works hard to help them find social value opportunities.

[Pictured at the top: Lydia and Beatrice in the Oak Tree Centre.]

‘Heaven sent’: matching a contractor with a Sandwell church for community benefit

When our Social Value Officer Karen Richards introduced Sandwell Council contractor Parade Civil Engineering to St. Mary’s Church in Bearwood, it brought about the decluttering of the church garden to become a functioning community space again.

At Sandwell Council, we have a strong social value agenda, looking to work with suppliers who go beyond the scope of their contracts to bring wider social and environmental benefits to our local communities.

Our Social Value Team works hard to help our suppliers find social value opportunities. This could be through fundraising activities, for example, or by offering their skills, knowledge, labour or time ‘in kind’. Corporate giving can help a business to foster team spirit, develop skills, grow customer loyalty and even win future contracts. Many suppliers are keen to get involved.

Happy coincidence

One such example was Parade Civil Engineering, a Birmingham-based company which delivers highway support to local authorities including Sandwell Council. The Parade team approached our Social Value Officer Karen Richards to see whether she knew of any community projects needing a helping hand.

By happy coincidence, volunteers at St. Mary’s Church in Bearwood had also approached Karen that week. They were seeking help to declutter their church garden so it could become a functioning community patio again.

Red digger at work in the garden at St Mary's Church in Bearwood

Karen matched the two organisations – and work began as soon as the weather would allow.

It took two weeks, with church volunteers and Parade staff working together against inclement weather.

Above and beyond

The Parade team went “above and beyond”, Karen told us. “Not only clearing away overgrown weeds and brambles but also relaying the paving stones to make the ground even”.

Together they made the cluttered space into a functioning patio, which the church community can enjoy once more.

Karen also said Sam Woods and Pav Virdi from Parade Civil Engineering, and their team, were supportive every step of the way.

They sent a message saying: “We would like to thank Sandwell Council and their Social Value Team for giving us the opportunity to work with St. Mary’s Church.

“Our team have enjoyed offering their skills for the benefit of the local community and having the chance to work with great people. We would also like to thank Midland Forestry for being a part of this project too.”

Clean and inviting patio garden at St Mary's Church in Bearwood

“We don’t know how to say thank you enough”

Sam Woods of Parade, Ruth Downing from St Mary's Church and Karen Richards from Sandwell Council

St. Mary’s Church community was delighted as well.

Ruth Downing said: “St. Mary’s Church is so happy with the outcome. A big thank you to all at Parade Civils for all your hard work and Karen for the introduction.

“We don’t know how to say thank you enough. We are now looking forward to holding our Christmas Fayre outside in our new garden this year.”

Pictured left to right: Sam Woods of Parade Civil Engineering, Ruth Downing of St. Mary’s Church in Bearwood, and our Social Value Officer Karen Richards.

Businesses can give back to the community in many ways – perhaps by donating to a cause, offering work ‘in kind’ or sponsoring an event.

Social value and corporate social responsibility (CSR) can boost team spirit, develop skills and customer loyalty. It can help you win contracts.

More than just a financial transaction

Did you know … when Sandwell Council officers award contracts they are considering more than just the financial transaction? They’re looking for suppliers who will go beyond their basic contract terms to secure wider benefits for the local community. We call this delivering ‘social value’.

Sandwell Council has adopted the definition of social value as set out by the government’s Sustainable Procurement Task Force. It is:

“a process whereby organisations meet their needs for goods, services, works and utilities in a way that achieves value for money on a whole life basis in terms of generating benefits not only to the organisation, but also to society and the economy, whilst minimising damage to the environment”.

The four pillars of social value in Sandwell

Social Value in Sandwell
Four pillars:
Employment and skills
Community engagement
Local spend
Environment

1. Employment and skills
Creating employment opportunities for local people through jobs, work experience, trials, apprenticeships and T-levels.

2. Community engagement
Giving support, guidance, time or resources to non-corporate organisations such as schools, colleges, community groups and charities in the borough.

3. Local spend
Investing money in the area – by subcontracting locally or using local suppliers; by investing in buildings and spaces.

4. Environment
Bringing environmental benefits by reducing, reusing or recycling physical resources; reducing carbon output; reducing the amount of waste sent to landfill: reducing energy consumption.

‘We are Sandwell’: social value video

Watch Michael Wragg, Senior Social Value Officer at Sandwell Council, explain the four pillars of social value in Sandwell. This video also gives an interesting insight into good local employment outcomes thanks to social value commitments from Lovell Partnerships, the contractor working on a new housing site on Bromford Lane in Oldbury:

VIY transforms Coneygre Youth Arts Centre: social value in action

Watch how Volunteers It Yourself (VIY), working in partnership with Construction With Meaning (CWM), helped transform Coneygre Youth Arts Centre through a hands-on social value project. The video highlights how collaboration between businesses, volunteers and community organisations can deliver positive outcomes for young people while developing skills and creating lasting local impact.

Your Social Value Delivery Plan

Should your business win a contract with Sandwell Council, our Social Value Team will support you (alongside our colleagues working in employment and skills) to create a Social Value Delivery Plan – incorporating other national TOMs (themes, outcomes and measures) if needed.

We will also work closely with SCVO (Sandwell Council of Community and Voluntary Organisations) to identify suitable volunteering opportunities for you and your team. Ask us about our ‘Adopt a school’ initiative and other ways you can work with the local community.

Together we can bring your Social Value Delivery Plan into being and celebrate its positive outcomes – including with publicity where appropriate. These outcomes will be great for you to highlight in future tenders.