Groundwork Annual Review 2015

groundwork in action ANNUAL REVIEW 2015

Groundwork changes places and changes lives.

ONE GREEN STEP AT A TIME. We’re an environmental charity that’s passionate about creating a future where everywhere is vibrant and green, every community is strong and able to shape its own destiny and everyone can reach their potential.

We’ve been working for over 30 years building better, greener lives in the places that need it most.

We help people to carry out thousands of projects each year. We’re committed to practical action to build stronger communities with better local environments, to tackle climate change and combat fuel poverty, to improve skills and get people back into work and to inspire the next generation of community champions and green leaders.

88,000

OUR IMPACT LAST YEAR

tonnes of waste diverted from landfill

16,000

tonnes of CO2

263,000 days of voluntary action by adults

ÂŁ80 million

invested in communities across the UK

emissions avoided

and young people

3,000

5,200

projects

people supported

delivered

into training, education or employment

5,000

households supported with

26 million

square metres of land improved or maintained

benefiting 492,000 people

280,000

energy and water efficiency visits

trees planted

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The next five years will present huge challenges for society.

While the economy slowly recovers, continued reductions in public spending will bring with them a greater risk of social division and geographic disparity.

Some people in some parts of the country will feel more confident and aspirational while others will remain marginalised and vulnerable. Environmental impacts – from flooding to energy price rises – will impact disproportionately on those who have least.

Universal services in many communities – from youth clubs to parks – will feel the brunt of spending reductions and require new ideas and approaches with communities and businesses needing to be more engaged in managing vital public services.

Groundwork was established at a time of political, social and economic challenge to help communities cope with change and work together to make their lives and neighbourhoods better. That experience and that spirit of enterprise and innovation have never been more needed.

HELPING COMMUNITIES TAKE CONTROL The Groundwork movement was born more than three decades ago by connecting the ‘self help’ principles of the international development movement to the growing concern about the impacts of economic restructuring on our communities and the first appreciation of the threat posed by climate change.

Central to the Groundwork idea was that solutions to global problems would only be found if we inspired people to act locally and that local people knew best about how to design services and manage assets in their area.

What was also understood was that this wouldn’t happen by magic. People needed a trusted source of local advice and practical help to deliver the changes they wanted to see in their lives and in their neighbourhoods. This was doubly true of places with greater levels of social need, environmental neglect and economic uncertainty.

At a time when there is a fundamental shift underway in what the state can provide in terms of services and safety nets, this role as an honest broker and an agent of change becomes even more important. We all want to see communities in control of their surroundings and informing local services, but we don’t want those who find it more difficult to participate to be left behind in society.

We’re operating at a time when every pound we raise and spend needs to deliver as much value as possible given the reductions in public spending. Our aim in everything we do is to prevent more challenging (and expensive) problems from arising in the first place.

We keep people well through programmes like Target Wellbeing. Our Achievement Coaches ensure young people succeed in school so that they don’t become NEET. We help people change their behaviour around energy and water so that they avoid financial hardship and fuel poverty and so that we all play a part in minimising the impacts of climate change.

Groundwork is a restless organisation and is constantly evolving to meet the changing needs of communities and the changing political and funding context. We have undergone major change over the last five years and the pace of change won’t slow in the next five. As this report shows, despite the change and challenge we are continuing to find innovative ways of delivering life changing impact. Thank you to those who have helped us in the last year and we look forward to building new relationships to enable us to do even more in the year ahead.

Graham Duxbury Chief Executive, Groundwork UK

we create better places Every year Groundwork helps hundreds of thousands of people of all ages to organise and work together to protect, preserve, improve or create parks, play areas, allotments, nature reserves and many other spaces that matter to them.

We help people create ‘friends groups’ and mobilise support and funding for their own projects. We make sure young people get their voices heard about the facilities they need in their area and are able to demonstrate that they can be a powerful force for good in their community by leading projects to improve the local environment. We target some of our projects on people who are isolated or suffering health problems as a way of getting them outdoors and benefitting from physical activity. We aim to re-connect people with nature, to understand the importance of biodiversity and experience the benefits of growing and eating fresh food.

CREATING A SITE OF BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE

BRINGING COMMUNITIES TOGETHER

ALL WORK AND LOTS OF PLAY

Groundwork manages Silverdale Park on behalf of The Land Trust. A 200 acre green space in Staffordshire created on the site of a former colliery, the site has over the past year increasingly become a hub for volunteers of all ages and backgrounds including school parties, senior citizen groups, young offenders and people on drug rehabilitation programmes.

Groundwork’s Vacant Lot project helped to establish 20 new community allotments on London housing estates, providing a creative solution to growing fresh food for residents in social housing where outdoor spaces are limited.

In Wales Groundwork has been contracted to run a national programme helping more children and families benefit from outdoor play. The Sustainable Play programme, delivered in partnership with the educational family support charity Snap Cymru, helps people enjoy the natural places around them by organising play sessions in all 22 local authority areas across the country.

They all help to preserve the biodiversity of the park which has led to it being designated a ‘Site of Biological Importance’ by the Staffordshire Wildlife Trust.

The allotments didn’t just brighten up the estate but also helped neighbours get to know each other, with 85% of residents agreeing the project helped to bring the community together.

To date, more than 10,000 children and young people and nearly 800 families have been involved in outdoor sessions, including more than 1,000 young people with disabilities. Feedback shows that people value the chance to let their children play safely close to home and improve their health without the costs associated with gyms and leisure centres.

TONY

“ I look forward to every session.”

“Being made redundant after 35 years really hit me hard and I didn’t know what the future held for me and my family. I joined the Green Gym as a volunteer and looked forward to every session. I was fortunate to be offered a job there and now deliver the very same sessions I volunteered at. I’ve had training in a variety of fields and now I am qualified to teach Adult Community Learning courses.

The Groundwork tagline of ‘changing places, changing lives’ really does apply in my case.”

Tony works at The Green Gym, a project designed to bring local people together to ‘work out’ in their local green spaces through taking part in horticultural and conservation activities. Training and support is offered to all volunteers so that they can develop their skills and confidence.

The term ‘Green Gym’ is used by license from The Conservation Volunteers.

“ We grow people - and the community responds.”

NIGEL

“The Green Patch is the hub of the community and I think everyone’s a winner. We’re attached to a large council estate of mainly low income families and it’s somewhere we can get away from it all and learn new things. We have children come along and they haven’t got a clue what a vegetable looks like. They come across a carrot and as far as they’re concerned it comes out of the freezer. The success of this project is down to the people you meet – everybody helps everybody else and benefits in their own way.”

Nigel volunteers at ‘The Green Patch’ - a green space in Kettering where Groundwork helps volunteers deliver a range of activities; including teaching children about the environment and healthy eating, providing training and skills to get into work and supporting adults with learning difficulties.

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we IMPROVE PEOPLE’S PROSPECTS It is well established that being in fulfilling work is a major factor in helping people to stay well and happy and enabling them to put something back into society.

We also know that if a young person is not in education or work for an extended period their chances of becoming long-term unemployed, with all the social and economic consequences that entails, are significantly increased.

We use our own projects and deliver government programmes across the UK to give young people the best start in life and to open up new opportunities in the job market for those with the greatest barriers to work. We are particularly focused on supporting young people to help them stay and prosper in education, while working creatively to give those who have been out of work for many months the chance to improve their skills and self-esteem by volunteering or taking up work placements. We also support enterprise and job creation in the green economy and work closely with companies and skills bodies in the waste, recycling and utilities sectors to help more young people build a career focused on the responsible management of natural resources.

Coaching vulnerable young people to achieve

GIVING teenagers the confidence they need

FURNISHING YOUNG ADULTS WITH NEW SKILLS

Groundwork’s Achievement Coaches offer early intervention support to vulnerable young people at risk of under-achieving at school or becoming NEET (Not in education, employment or training).

Our On-Track programme – delivered through the Government’s Youth Contract in the East Midlands and North West - has provided over 7,500 16 and 17 year-olds who were NEET with a year’s support from a dedicated youth mentor.

Groundwork’s Project UP provides unemployed young adults with skills and work experience as they ‘upcycle’ unloved furniture at a workshop in Widnes.

Over the course of the last two years we have supported nearly 900 young people with support from the Department of Education; with 96% reporting a positive change in confidence or motivation and 87% demonstrating improved attendance, attitude or attainment in school according to their teachers.

As a result, two thirds have re-engaged in education or training, with 76% of those supported saying they felt more confident as a direct result of the help they received from their mentor.

During their time on the project 16–25 year olds gain furniture design, carpentry and renovation experience by transforming discarded materials from vacant properties into desirable products.

During the last year the project has helped 15 young people while diverting 10 tonnes of waste from landfill.

“ I feel like I can walk with my head held high.”

“Half of the kids who leave care end up homeless, on drugs or dead. When I left care I ended up homeless, on drugs and halfway to being dead. You just need that one thing to get you on the right track and that’s what this apprenticeship with Groundwork is to me. I feel like I can walk with my head held high. I just wanted someone to listen to me.

Groundwork listened to me, they’re helping me. This is like a second chance for me – a chance to show what I can do.”

ANTONY

Antony has overcome a difficult childhood and is now employed as an apprentice on our Green Team programme in London where he’s gaining practical horticulture and grounds maintenance experience. With Groundwork’s support and the skills he’s learnt he’s on his way to securing long term employment.

MERYEM

“ I know I will reach the targets I’ve set myself.”

“The target grades my teachers gave me were all D’s. I thought, ‘Come on, is that what they think of me?’ There was a reason though. My home life was stressful, my parents had divorced so school was hard. I’d created a cocoon around myself that was pure negativity. Kim, my Achievement Coach, was there for me and she helped me focus on the little things that make a big difference. She gave me the strength to be optimistic. I’m now in control of my own life, my own feelings and my own grades. I know I will reach the targets I’ve set myself.”

Meryem was referred to our Achievement Coaches programme where she received tailored 1:1 support from an experienced mentor to identify and address barriers to educational achievement.

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MAKING SPACE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Young people have a pride in where they live but want it to be cleaner, safer and offer more things for them to do. Only 7% of young people say they currently volunteer in their local area and many community groups involved in managing and improving open spaces find it hard to engage young people, who are too often seen as part of the problem in terms of vandalism and anti-social behaviour.

X Marks the Spot celebrates the work young people do to improve the places that matter to them and the wider community. At a time when budgets for local youth services and green space maintenance are both being reduced, harnessing the enthusiasm of young people to act as green space heroes can bring powerful benefits – developing the next generation of volunteers and building the character of young people to help them make a successful transition to adult life.

the evidence • Over a third (35%) of young people across the UK would like to see the area where they live to be cleaner and nearly a third (29%) would like their neighbourhood to be safer.

• 80% of 15-16 year-olds say they are dissatisfied with the quality of outdoor play provision and 15% of 16-24 year-olds say parks are the one thing in their area that most need improvement.

• Young people feel a sense of community pride with the majority (66%) liking where they live.

• 69% of young people say they could be motivated to volunteer to help community green spaces but only 7% actually do so.

Nearly half (49%) say they would be more motivated to volunteer if they could gain skills that would help them to get a job.

Source: YouGov survey commissioned by Groundwork, 2015

X Marks the Spot is raising the profile of the UK’s young green space heroes by: • Celebrating young people’s work to create better places with a campaign film produced by a young vlogger, which was viewed by nearly 10,000 people.

• Starting to recruit a network of youth ambassadors to help us generate more support for our projects and programmes that improve young people’s prospects.

• Working with Fields in Trust to recognise the achievements of young people in protecting green spaces through a national ‘Youth Champion’ award.

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we promote greener living and working It is a stark reality that global environmental challenges impact first and worst on those people and communities who have the least. It is also true that addressing these challenges successfully will require people everywhere to learn to live differently.

Changing the way we live – for example by using less energy and less water and choosing greener ways of getting about – is not just good for the planet but also good for the purse, helping to cut household bills and reducing the strain on the NHS. We help people and organisations make choices and changes that deliver practical benefits now and sow the seeds of a more sustainable future. Thinking differently about the way we use finite natural resources can help people manage their money better, heat their homes properly and avoid winter illnesses. Finding new ways to be active through volunteering can lead to healthier, happier lives and reduce isolation as people get to know others in their community. We also help businesses benefit by avoiding waste, cutting costs and improving the wellbeing of their employees, protecting jobs and contributing to a more sustainable local economy.

IMPROVING THE WELLBEING OF INDIVIDUALS

ADVISING VULNERABLE PEOPLE ON SAVING ENERGY

HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES MAKE BIG SAVINGS

2015 saw the completion of our Target Wellbeing programme, an eight-year £13 million initiative funded by the Big Lottery Fund to support mental wellbeing, physical activity and healthy eating.

In Leeds, Groundwork has been supported by the City Council to provide a free service to vulnerable homeowners and tenants referred by health workers and social care charities. Our Green Doctors undertake comprehensive energy assessments and provide advice and practical assistance to reduce bills and combat the effects of cold, damp homes.

Small businesses in Suffolk are benefiting from advice and support to reduce waste, cut costs and avoid fines thanks to Groundwork’s environmental business support service.

In the last two years the programme has supported nearly 25,000 participants in the North West, North East and West Midlands, with 92% feeling more confident in managing their everyday lives and 70% reporting increased levels of physical activity. We targeted our activities on those with most significant health needs including a programme of healthy horticultural training in prisons.

Last winter we helped more than 1,600 residents in the city, fitting more than 3,500 energy and water saving measures and providing advice with the potential to save nearly £375 on utility bills

With the backing of the Suffolk Climate Change Partnership and a number of other local and regional bodies our advisers provide tailored advice which has so far identified nearly £7 million of savings with the potential to avoid 35,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions. 100% of clients supported say they would recommend our service to another business.

CLARE

“ Thanks to the Green Doctors, I don’t have to worry about winter now.”

“It’s hard financially when it’s the winter months. Having small children as well, it’s important to keep warm. You cut back on food, you cut back on clothing – you just make a load of cutbacks. I went to the local food bank once or twice. You have to make these sacrifices because being warm is more important. The Green Doctors came and showed me how to save energy, apply for grants and put reflective panels behind the radiators, which helped a lot.”

Clare was supported by Groundwork’s Green Doctors, energy saving experts who make homes warmer, offer practical tips and provide energy efficiency advice.

“ Groundwork really helped to keep my cooking and finances healthy.”

suE

“I was referred to ‘Sorted’ by my housing association to help me be more confident with my finances. I attended the social cooking club, and learned to cook food that was both healthy and affordable for those on a limited income. I’ve met new people and learned a lot about cooking and eating healthy food while not breaking the bank. I think it’s important; it keeps you fit and prevents weight gain. Being healthy means you are at less risk of a heart attack. Groundwork really have helped to keep my cooking and my finances healthy.”

Sue took part in ‘Sorted’ – a financial literacy project funded by the Big Lottery Fund for social housing tenants in Coventry. As well as helping participants to understand how to manage their money, it also helps to develop their cooking skills, understanding of healthy eating and confidence in cooking meals on a budget.

Groundwork in action: Impact ANNUALReport REVIEW 2015

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we create partnerships for action Partnership working is in our DNA. It was a founding principle of our approach over thirty years ago and it’s still fundamental to the way we work now.

We’re proud to have worked with a wide range of business partners to deliver social impact including United Utilities, Southern Water, Thames Water, Deutsche Bank, DHL, PwC, Skanska, Standard Life, Direct Line and Marks & Spencer. We also benefit from the support of the Big Lottery Fund and Heritage Lottery Fund and work closely with government departments, devolved assemblies, local authorities and housing associations across the UK.

Grants for improving local communities

PARTNERING FOR POSITIVE SOCIAL IMPACT

improving people and places

Over the past 12 months we have distributed grants totalling over £20 million to improve local communities as expert partners of the Department for Communities and Local Government, Affinity Sutton and the DHL Foundation. We combine our efficient national systems with on-the-ground knowledge and networks to ensure funding achieves the maximum impact in local areas.

United Futures, our partnership with United Utilities, continues to generate results with 36 projects delivered across the North West generating an additional investment of over £1 million. This led to a positive social impact for more than 65,000 people across all age groups. Highlights for the year included the completion of 32 business efficiency projects on the Wirral, providing grants to 23 community projects in Rossendale and the culmination of a five year programme in Blackpool to develop a network of ponds and green spaces to support environmental education.

Employees from PwC offices around the country have raised money through the company’s national foundation to support the work of our Green Teams, giving young people the chance to turn their lives around by getting qualifications, experience and jobs while improving parks, building play areas and maintaining open spaces.

SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES TO LIVE SUSTAINABLY We are working with the Big Lottery Fund to support and learn from the activities of 12 local initiatives funded through their Communities Living Sustainably programme. With our partners the Energy Saving Trust, Building Research Establishment, New Economics Foundation and Federation of City Farms and Community Gardens we’re identifying and promoting good practice around energy efficiency, food growing, climate change adaptation and behaviour change.

ENABLING YOUNG PEOPLE TO REALISE THEIR POTENTIAL We’ve worked with Skanska employees who have used their business experience to help young people develop their potential. This included young people pitching ideas to Skanska ‘dragons’ who judged proposals for awarding funding for local community projects.

HELPING YOUNG ADULTS MANAGE THEIR FINANCES With our partners Quaker Social Action, Scottish Book Trust and Standard Life Charitable Trust, we have rolled out a training programme across England to help support young people in making better financial decisions. Supported by a graphic novel, the Skint! financial literacy programme has been provided to staff in charities, housing associations, credit unions and colleges to help them support young people.

“Our staff really enjoy coming together to fundraise for Groundwork through the PwC Foundation’s firm-wide fundraising initiative the Race for £3m. So far our staff have run, swam, cycled, quizzed, baked cakes, eaten cakes, and sponsored colleagues, all to support Groundwork Green Teams and their beneficiaries across the UK. “Staff have also been volunteering across the country with Groundwork on environmental team volunteering projects, and it is great to really see the engagement levels building between Groundwork and PwC as the partnership progresses.”

David Adair, Head of Community Affairs, PwC

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GROUNDWORK

2020 Groundwork 2020 is our strategy for how we intend to have a positive impact on the communities we exist to serve over the next five years.

Our goal is to remain a significant, radical, national force for driving change in attitudes, behaviours, places and prospects in the communities that need it most.

Over the next five years we will: • Improve people’s prospects: by increasing the confidence, skills, wellbeing and employability of those furthest removed from the labour market, in particular young people.

• Create better places: by helping people work together to make their surroundings greener, safer and healthier and get involved in the way decisions are made about services in their area.

• Promote greener living and working: by helping people learn more about their environmental impact and act responsibly to reduce natural resource use.

OUR TARGETS

15,000

people progressing into training or employment.

10,000

young people more motivated to learn and achieve.

2,500

open spaces

improved or looked after.

100,000

people helped

to reduce their energy and water use.

1,000,000 days of voluntary action to improve local communities.

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WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT We rely on the support of a huge range of individuals and organisations to achieve the change set out in this report. If you share our vision of a society of sustainable communities, we want to hear from you.

Work in partnership with us We are focused on bringing about as much change as possible in the places that need it most. We can’t do it alone. We can work with you to improve lives in a particular neighbourhood or city or collaborate on a programme that has UK-wide impact.

Become an ambassador We are building a network of committed philanthropists providing strategic support to our mission. If you feel you can put something back into the place where you live or where you grew up or can help us reach out to more supporters we would love to hear from you.

Volunteer with us Your time and skills could be of huge value to our work. We can help you undertake team challenges to improve a community allotment or children’s play area or help you become a mentor to young people to help them succeed in life.

Pledge a gift to us in your will We know that people’s first priority when making a will is to provide for their loved ones, but many people also want to leave a legacy that benefits many more people in the future.

Make a regular donation We want to provide long-term support to people and communities in need.

Regular donations can help our Green Teams improve more green spaces or our Green Doctors help more people struggling to cope with their bills.

Become a Friend of Groundwork Have you benefited from our work? Were you once part of the Groundwork family? If you have a story about our organisation we would love to hear it so that we can use it to inspire others.

Organise an event or join one of our challenges Perhaps you’re a school party or a group of work colleagues looking for an exciting challenge. We can help you have fun while you make a difference by organising your own fundraising activities or signing up to climb a mountain or jump out of a plane.

WWW.GROUNDWORK.ORG.UK/GET-INVOLVED

Please help us continue to make a difference

www.groundwork.org.uk @groundworkuk Facebook.com/groundworkuk Groundwork UK is the operating name of the Federation of Groundwork Trusts, a company limited by guarantee.

Company Registration No: 1900511. Charity Registration No: 291558