Corporate Partnerships with Groundwork MSSTT by Groundwork MSSTT

Corporate Partnership with

GROUNDWORK Manchester Salford Stockport Tameside & Trafford

Introduction Groundwork Manchester, Salford, Stockport, Tameside and Trafford (MSSTT) is an independent not-for-proďŹ t organisation that has an aim of Changing Places, Changing Lives through a wide range of initiatives, often with an environmental or sustainability focus. Groundwork MSSTT works hard to deliver, inspire and improve local areas, businesses and the lives of local people, many of whom live in some of our most challenging neighbourhoods. We can support businesses in the following ways: Helping you achieve your business goals: Our Environmental Business Services (EBS) team provide environmental, quality and health and safety business support. We have a track record of achieving bottom line cost savings, supporting business improvement and growth, whilst helping companies to stay compliant and ahead of the competition. Additionally we can help companies achieve their corporate social responsibility (CSR) aspirations through our corporate volunteering programmes.

Creating a better environment: Our award winning team of Landscape Architects provide a full design, consultation, client management and contract administration service. We offer everything from ideas for a neglected piece of land through to major environmental improvement programmes to transform business parks, housing estates and other areas of private and public land.

Blue Sky: Our in-house grounds maintenance company that supports ex-offenders through training and real work experience. Blue Sky helps to reduce re-offending rates and offers ex-offenders new routes to progression whilst delivering the highest quality grounds maintenance service.

Skills, training and employment: We deliver accredited, vocational and personal development training programmes; including courses that ensure employers meet statutory obligations around health and safety, environmental management and other work place requirements. Corporate Social Responsibility: We work with communities in some of the most deprived areas of Greater Manchester to help them build capacity, improve their environment and learn new skills. We welcome the support from businesses to help us deliver these activites. Support can range from donations and sponsorship through to supported delivery and volunteering.

All our services are priced competitively and any surplus we generate is channelled back into our work with local communties

How Can You Work With Us? There are a range of levels of involvement. We will work with you to devise a programme of activity which meets the needs and objectives of your business:

Full corporate partnership

Donations and sponsorship

Involving your employees

Service procurement/delivery

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During 2012 Groundwork trusts supported 220,000 days of social action by young people 2

Why Partner With Us? A corporate partnership with Groundwork MSSTT sends out a clear message about your environmental and social credentials. We can support you to embed your organisation in your local area and build relationships with your local community. We have a proven track record of working with local, national and multinational businesses. Our approach is engaging, practical and motivational; by working with us your staff will see the immediate and long lasting impact of their efforts. A strong community based CSR approach helps you recruit and retain staff, build morale, strengthen teams and enhance productivity. You will enhance your sustainability credentials; building reputation and brand awareness. We have dedicated staff members who can support promotion and marketing of your activities at local, regional and national level. We will help you turn your ideas into practical action. Our commercial services will help you meet your statutory requirements and help your business to operate more effectively.

Companies weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve recently worked with:

“There is no better delivery partner in this field than Groundwork. They have a first class network of people on the ground. That’s been hugely beneficial to M&S” Mike Barry, Head of Sustainable Development, Marks & Spencer

Groundwork Corporate Partnership Scheme Working together for mutual benefit Does your organisation share our vision of improving the quality of life for people in neighbourhoods most in need? If so, our Corporate Partner Scheme has been designed with you and your business in mind. For over 30 years, the principle of creating dynamic, innovative and mutually beneficial partnerships has been at the heart of our approach to changing places, changing lives. We work with our partners to build stronger and more prosperous local communities, overcome challenges and develop activities which cut across economic, social and environmental issues. Whether you are a large or small company, we can help you to deliver on your social and environmental goals while building better and more prosperous local communities. Whatever your size or sector, we can help to bring your corporate social responsibility agenda to life. With our extensive experience of resource efficiency and environmental management, our advisors will support your business to improve its operating efficiency and business practices whilst reducing costs, reducing risk and increasing competitiveness - a win-win situation.

“It’s a great experience being able to work with people you don’t get to work with in a normal day to day environment. It’s good to get back to my roots and do a bit for my local community”

participant, Corporate Volunteering

Groundwork Corporate Partnership Scheme Partnership beneﬁts: As a Groundwork Corporate Partner you will receive the core services ticked below, basic partnership starts at £1,500

Our basic Partnership √ √ √ √ √ √ √

Free subscription to our Green Business Membership Access to a dedicated Environmental Advisor Brand and activity promotion Use of Groundwork logo to promote partnership 1 day of corporate volunteering activity Opportunities for involvement with local community projects through Groundwork 10% discount on subsequent CSR activities

Bolt-on services > CSR or resource efﬁciency review, report and action plan > Support to implement resource efﬁciency recommendations > Management systems development and implementation

“The CSR engagement tool is a great way to make the employees realise that the company cares about the workers’ general interests and social commitment as well”

The Financial Times

Donations & Sponsorship Beneﬁts to you Making a donation or sponsoring a local good cause can help you:

Promote your organisation and position your brand Enhance your environmental and community credibility Demonstrate impact in your local community.

How much will it cost? It’s up to you! Groundwork MSSTT welcomes donations or sponsorship to support speciﬁc projects or themes of activity. These could be existing programmes or bespoke activities designed to meet the objectives of your organisation. You could support habitat creation and protection, educational initiatives in and out of school, community grants schemes, disadvantaged young people and more! Sponsorship and donations help us lever in additional investment from funders and local partners, increasing the value of your contribution. If your idea has a community and/or environmental slant then we’d love to hear from you and to help you turn it into reality. 9

Participation ideas Trafford Ecology Park – Owned by Groundwork MSSTT, this ecological haven in the middle of Trafford Park requires regular maintenance and development. By sponsoring our work in the park you will help support its upkeep, protect the rare habitats and species which are found there and help us continue to keep the park functioning as an educational centre and local resource. A few hundred pounds would cover regular, small scale maintenance; a more substantial donation could pay for improvements or the creation of new facilities. Please contact us if you are interested in sponsoring the Ecology Park or, alternatively, an open space which is more local to you.

Princes Trust Team programme – A 12 week programme for disadvantaged young people (aged 16-24). Groundwork delivers the Team programme on behalf of Prince’s Trust and in partnership with local colleges. Participants undertake an outward bound residential, a community project, a community challenge and work experience to gain a Level 1 Certiﬁcate in Team Work, Employability and Community Skills. Sponsorship could support a community project, fund enrichment activities to add value to the learning or provide motivational rewards and incentives for the young people. Great Places Housing Association have funded community projects in Levenshulme and Salix Housing Association gave bikes to their tenants participating on the Team programme. Local and national businesses offer two week work placements with mentoring, job shadowing and support. The nature of the Team programme is such that your business can choose a variety of ways to support the programme.

Community grants schemes – Would you like to support community groups in your area? At Groundwork, we are experienced in managing grant schemes and delivering capacity building support to community and tenants groups. Our Eco Streets grants scheme supports collective community action against climate change in the local area. Groups are trained in developing their project idea, applying for funding, managing cash ﬂow and involving others. Projects have included re-use and recycling schemes, community gardens, grow your own and local education initiatives. Cargill, City South, Great Places and Partington Housing Associations have ﬁnancially supported the grants pot. Or we could work with you to design a bespoke grants programme tailored to your own CSR objectives.

School links – You could chose to support our projects in local schools. A number of our projects focus on improving local school environments through the redesign of school grounds, the delivery of outdoor education and providing environmental support. Through funding and support, schools in deprived areas or local to your ofﬁces could be offered the opportunity to create an engaging and inspiring climate for positive learning, which raises the proﬁle of their school and the achievements of the pupils

Involving Your Employees Beneﬁts to you Involving your employees in your CSR programme, typically through volunteering and fundraising, has been proven to have the following beneﬁts:

Improve team working and relationships Build conﬁdence and communication skills Increase motivation and engagement Improve performance and productivity Achieve better recruitment and retention “It’s good to get back to my roots again and do a bit more for my community”

Build a positive company atmosphere Make a positive impact on your local community

Participant Corporate Volunteering

How can you get your employees involved? We’ll work with you to get to know your business, your CSR objectives and to understand how you and your employees want to make a positive difference. From there we tailor a programme which exactly meets your needs. We offer a range of levels of involvement:

Individual volunteering Supported by our professional team of community development workers, your staff can get hands on in their local community, on a cause relevant to them.

Brokering opportunities We are involved in hundreds of community projects across Greater Manchester and we will provide you with a list of current projects, putting individual employees in touch with groups they are interested in.

Using your business skills We work with disadvantaged young people and adults on learning and employment programmes. Your employees could make a big difference to these programmes – either by providing support in programme design or mentoring participants to improve their chances of progression and their understanding of the business world.

How much will it cost? There are no ﬁnancial costs attached to this approach; the brokering service is included in our [basic] corporate partner package (page 7). We recognise the value of your employees’ time, any support provided to our funded projects will be received with thanks and make a genuine improvement to the outcome of the project.

Case Study Pass It On This Groundwork project in Stockport offers next steps support for in-betweeners; young people who miss out on the support targeted at the most disadvantaged young people who lack the family support, personal knowledge and skills to help them achieve their goals. The project is funded by Stockport Business Challenge and many local businesses, who have offered their support through mentoring, CV and interview advice, tours of their premises, workshops for young people and work experience.

Supporters include: Man Diesel & Turbo UK Ltd, Adidas, SAS Daniels, Stockport Homes and Benchmark Building Supplies.

Group Volunteering Employee Team Challenge We can arrange a team challenge day or longer event for up to 20 employees at a time. Groups of employees will be supported to choose, design, problem solve and complete tasks during the event. You can choose to undertake the task at an existing Groundwork facility or project, such as Trafford Ecology Park. Alternatively you might want to create a new project in your area to maximise your proﬁle and underline your commitment to the local community. Example tasks of different scales include: Environmental management at Trafford Ecology Park – clearing pathways, cutting back vegetation, planting, habitat surveys, repairing and painting handrails, replacing boardwalks and developing the buildings. River clean ups and environmental management of nearby open spaces in the Medlock or Irk Valleys Clean ups, maintenance and/or planting days at a local greenspace, park or community building Make-over of a community garden or building Design and implementation of a new facility for your local community eg. a play space or vegetable garden

How much will it cost? Costs are dependent upon the activity and whether funding a new project is already in existence. Indicative costs:

√ Employee Challenge Day at a Groundwork or community project; approximate contribution of £35 per participant for a minimum of 10 employees for 1 day plus cost of design and materials

√ Design and planning £300-£2,500 depending on the nature and scale of the project eg. a very small scale project would require limited support, where as a major physical improvement project would require professional services support √ Equipment and materials as a guide £5,000-£10,000 would be sufﬁcient for a small to medium scheme √ Outdoor classroom £7,000 √ Goal and ball hoop area for school grounds approximate cost of £5,000

√ √ √ √

Fruit trees £50 per standard tree Large planters £200 Hardwood benches £260 Greenhouse £1000 NB. All costs are approximate and depend on speciﬁcation and project.

Group Volunteering

Team building days

Use Trafford Ecology Park for your team building needs. Based in the centre of Trafford Industrial Estate, the Eco Park is 11 hectares of tranquil open space. Categorised as a Site of Biological Importance, it is home to nationally protected species such as Great Crested Newts and Bee Orchids. Bring your staff and get away from it all in the heart of industrial South Manchester. The Ecology Park is available to hire for meetings, conferences, training, team building and induction events. We have dedicated and experienced staff who can help you plan, run and lead your events; including the delivery of Team Challenge activities. Our staff can build in opportunities for employee fundraising challenges; an excellent way of ďŹ nancing your day or to raise sponsorship for a local project or good cause. Motivate and inspire your employees, whilst developing core business and personal skills. 15

Service Procurement and Delivery

How much will it cost?

Trafford Ecology Park

√ Hire of Eco Park centre £350 per day √ Staff support for day dependent on nature of activities √ All our Employee Challenges and other activities are fully risk assessed and comply with Health and Safety Legislation

Service Procurement and Delivery BeneďŹ ts to you? Groundwork offers a range of business services which we are happy to quote for on a competitive basis. Choosing to procure your services from a socially responsible, charitable organisation like ours helps you: Demonstrate your commitment to social responsibility and sustainability whilst raising your brand proďŹ le Deliver social return on investment through your business operations Learn from our expertise to improve the environmental and social sustainability of your business operations

What services do we offer? Landscape Design Employ our Landscape Architects to improve your working environment; it might be an area for rest and relaxation, an outdoor gym or a simple planting scheme. By working with us you will be assured of a low maintenance, practical, visually stunning and environmentally sustainable scheme. The Landscape Team can manage your project through: Feasibility studies Design and costing Obtaining competitive tenders Appointing and managing a contractor Further grounds maintenance Our community engagement specialists can also consult and involve your employees and the local community in your plans; enabling you to demonstrate your commitment to your staff and the local area, whilst ensuring your employees feel engaged in the changes to their working environment.

In 2012/13 we improved 819,572m2 of land in local communities

Statistics show that only 15% of Blue Sky employees re-offend, compared to the national re-offending rate of 60%

Grounds Maintenance Our Blue Sky Grounds Maintenance Team offer competitive quotes to meet all your grounds maintenance needs. Blue Sky is an employment rehabilitation programme for ex-offenders. Employees receive a six month supported contract with the organisation as a step towards permanent employment. Due to our commitment to training, support and fair wages, a number of our employees have stayed with us and progressed towards supervisory roles.

Resource Efficiency Groundwork Environmental Advisors deliver detailed Resource Efficiency Audits that can help businesses identify and achieve cost, carbon, water and material savings. By identifying your savings through a Resource Efficiency Audit your business will benefit from reduced costs, a reduced carbon footprint and by working with Groundwork you are contributing to your CSR activity as all surplus made goes back into our work in your local community.

Employee and Community Engagement Groundwork can help you undertake issue based consultation with your employees and local communities. Our experienced Community Development Team will bring additional capacity and advise you on the most appropriate engagement tools. If you want to ensure your results are independent and objective, we can run the consultation and analyse the results on your behalf.