Michael Freeley, Director at J Freeley, discusses the company’s increasing support for local communities and why creating social value is now a cornerstone of the business.
As our company has grown, so has our commitment to supporting local communities. This engagement is fundamental to how we operate, helping us to create a positive impact that extends beyond our projects.
Supporting communities - and generating social value – is recognised as fundamental to successful projects across both the public and private sectors. This is particularly important when delivering demolition. The potential inconvenience that tends to go hand in hand with our activities requires us to engage with local communities at the earliest opportunity. Not only does this minimise any disruption but also identifies opportunities where we can make a positive difference.
To monitor our impact and maintain relationships, we have a system in place to record our contributions. This is assisted by the Social Value Portal which provides a trusted and robust measurement standard to accurately and credibly evidence our activity.
Meeting local needs
To give back to the areas in which we work, our support tends to focus on local food banks, homelessness charities, children’s charities, and children’s sports teams. We prioritise organisations which are central to a community’s wellbeing and where we can make a direct and tangible impact.
The work of the Mid-Wirral Crime Prevention Panel (MWCPP) is a good example. For more than 10 years the organisation has been funding free football sessions for 11 – 17-year-olds. Delivered every Friday night, the coaching is engaging young people, keeping them healthy and tackling anti-social behaviour.
While delivering the demolition of two town hall annexes in Wirral, we partnered with MWCPP to help fund these sessions and cover the running costs of the year. Our team got the chance to watch the activities, so we could see for ourselves how much they mean to young people in the area.
Although creating social value is a key factor in winning public sector construction work, our commitment extends beyond procurement requirements. For example, during the dismantling of the Victoria Pier for Conwy Council, we made donations to the Colwyn Bay Pier Trust and demolished an old stand for Conwy Borough Football Club free of charge, which saw us become an honouree stand sponsor.
Closing the gap
As the skills gap continues to widen in construction, we also recognise the importance of engaging with local schools, colleges and universities. All construction firms have a key role to play in this respect: helping to raise the profile of our industry, promote the benefits of construction careers, and educate on key messages such as those relating health and safety.
We often visit primary schools, located in the areas in which we are working, to discuss our projects. Our team delivers presentations at career events to inform students about the merits of working in the demolition industry with a focus on schools in disadvantaged areas. As we seek to continuously build and maintain relationships, our support continues after these presentations. We often provide advice on relevant training and examinations required to fulfil a career in our industry and we provide learning materials free of charge.
Supporting the local economy
In addition to charitable support and community engagement, we put measures in place to promote the stability of local economies.
For every project, we prioritise hiring local people, suppliers and subcontractors, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). We strive to be a fair and reliable partner too, ensuring timely payments to suppliers and subcontractors, sometimes even on the same day as receiving the invoice.
Joining forces
As the need to provide social value increases to benefit the wider culture, a more collaborative approach could create new opportunities. Our involvement with organisations such as the National Federation of Demolition Contractors (NFDC) allows us to participate in broader community support by participating in fundraising events and initiatives.
We have also attended Procure Partnerships’ social value workshops aimed at promoting networking and collaboration. This initiative encourages social value representatives to deliver non-project-specific initiatives.
But there is the potential to do more. We believe there is scope for more collaboration across the construction industry and we are open to working with our supply chain partners to discuss new ideas for generating social value in line with local needs.
Continuous improvement
Moving forward, companies will also need to evolve their social value strategies and J Freeley is no exception. We will continue to work closely with key stakeholders and communities to agree new initiatives that directly respond to local needs and build economic resilience. And we will proactively seek new partnerships to achieve this aim and make a direct impact on the communities in which we work, and where we are based.
For further information about our approach to social value or to discuss how we could work together to support local communities, please contact me.
