Tilbury Douglas colleagues give a day of their time for good causes across the UK
Lucy Davies, Social Value & Sustainability Director at Tilbury Douglas, discusses the importance of the company’s volunteering initiative.
As a company, we are committed to being a responsible business and this is reflected in the social impact that we deliver in the communities we work within. Whether through our apprenticeship and graduate programmes, supply chain engagement and support or our volunteering efforts, we are passionate about having a positive influence and contributing to the local economy.
We are proud to have delivered hundreds of vital projects across the UK, including new schools, hospitals, roads and other infrastructure – supporting our client’s legacies in local communities.
To support our impact being more than just bricks and mortar, we have our Give a Day of Your Time (GADOYT) initiative. This gives all employees the opportunity to take two days off from work a year to provide support for worthwhile causes in their local communities.
Colleagues can use their days to get involved in numerous ways, whether it be charity work, community initiatives, educational support or taking time out to mentor the next generation of construction professionals.
To date this year, our staff have carried out more than 300 days with additional support from our supply chain.
Recent initiatives
Here are some great examples of some of the recent activities our colleagues have been involved with.
Our Yorkshire team partnered with Speedy to arrange a charity golf day in aid of Candlelighters, the Yorkshire children’s cancer charity. The event was held at Darrington Golf Club in September and teams from various subcontractors took part and raised more than £3,000 for the charity through entry fees and a raffle.
Midlands colleagues and supply chain members supported the renovation of the main hall for 1st Knowle Scout group, which has been running adventure activities and supporting young people in the Solihull area continuously for 114 years.
Colleagues from our Southwest team, which is currently on site at Yeovil District Hospital building at the Breast Care Unit, took part in International Cycle 42 to raise funds for the Yeovil Hospital Charity Breast Cancer Unit Appeal. The team raised more than £1,400 for the charity.
Engineering colleagues used the GADOYT initiative to work with the charity Tamworth Boxing in the Midlands. They worked tirelessly completing much needed maintenance repairs for the charity’s offices, including lighting, heating, jet-washing, and painting.
A group of colleagues from South Wales braved the wind and rain to help collect rubbish on Swansea Beach. The litter picking equipment was all arranged free of charge through Caru Cymru (Love Wales), which is part of Keep Wales Tidy.
Our Thames Water Framework team helped develop the Change Grow Live (CGL) charity’s allotments at Caversham Court Gardens in Reading. The team got to work strimming the overgrown grass, weeding, general cleaning and tidying up before planting potatoes, radishes, lettuce and spinach. The produce will be used by service users at the CGL service. The team also donated a lawnmower for use by service users who will now regularly visit and maintain the allotments as part of their recovery programme.
The Thames Water Framework team also helped paint a food bank’s offices in Reading. The Readifood offices were in urgent need of a refresh as it had been eight years since they were last painted. Our team decided to take on the task of improving the environment and atmosphere for visitors and staff by painting three offices, a bathroom and kitchen areas.
Colleagues on our Walsall Manor transformed the hospital’s Ward 29 garden for Walsall’s Well Wishers charity. More than 70 assorted plants, purchased by Tilbury Douglas courtesy of suppliers Popular Tree Landscapes, have now taken pride of place in the garden. The garden will help connect patients, staff and visitors to the outside space and provide somewhere for them to rest and enjoy as much nature as possible.
In addition, we also have a nationwide partnership with CRADLE, a charity providing a range of resources to the NHS supporting patients and families when a baby dies during pregnancy or following a termination of pregnancy. As a construction industry first, the partnership has achieved so much, including providing support to more than 3,000 patients and launching the first CRADLE pregnancy loss service in Wales at our Prince Charles Hospital project.
Continuing our commitment
As we move into 2024, we will continue to look for ways to ensure we deliver long lasting social value and make a positive impact to the communities we work with across the UK.