community involvement
“We’re proud to be sponsors of this year's UK National Parks’ biennial conference, especially in this celebratory year for the National Parks organisation. As a custodian of land across the UK, including within National Parks, close collaboration and support with both with authorities and local communities is really important to us”
Stuart Wykes, director of Land and Natural resources
highlights
We’re committed to ensuring every site keeps the local community informed and connected by developing a site-specific Community Engagement Plan. Developed by our local site managers, the plan helps us to work with communities on the issues that are important to them. They provide a framework for community involvement through activities such as liaison meetings, open days and major community events. They also identify where we can support communities through investment, employee volunteering and charitable donations. At some of our larger operational sites we also have site-specific websites, newsletters and social media accounts to keep everyone informed. Find out about the activities we’ve carried out in our communities during the year.
In 2019, our employees spent over 10,630 hours volunteering to support the local community and the business made donations to charities and community projects, directly, with in-kind contributions of materials and labour and through the Tarmac Landfill Communities Fund. Our employees at Gore and Dolyhir quarry have supported their local community by funding the installation of a defibrillator.
We believe in opening up opportunities for young people to learn and gain experience of our industry and business to encourage more of them to aspire to careers with us. We work closely with local schools and colleges to promote science, technology, engineering and math’s (STEM) and host open days and site visits for school children for them to learn about the essential role our materials play in everyday life. These visits provide a great opportunity for us to showcase the types of career and employment opportunities we offer to encourage the next generation into the business.
We contribute to a number of educational programmes which help support and develop young people across the UK. Our partnership with Solutions for the Planet has proved its success again this year as they were shortlisted in the Social Enterprise UK Awards for Employment, Training and Jobs. Read more here.
We have continued to work with schools in our local communities to provide cycle safety, helping to improve the safety of vulnerable road users around Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs). Our employees have also been spending time in their local schools providing valuable STEM activities, these range from supporting STEM clubs, giving presentations and facilitating visits to our sites. Read more about the activities we have carried out this year here.
We understand how important the natural environment is to our communities and stakeholders. Our aim is to make a net positive contribution to biodiversity, leaving our sites in a better condition than when we acquired them. We also want to use our skills and resources to enhance the environment for those in the communities around us. We do this is by working in partnership with local community groups and environmental organisations that share our views on the importance of community involvement and provide volunteering opportunities in nature conservation. We work with organisations like The Wildlife Trusts, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) and Groundwork; helping communities find practical solutions to some of the challenges they face. We also promote opportunities for public access to our sites by including them on the Mineral Products Association’s National Nature Park.
In 2019, we were the lead partner for the UK National Parks Conference. As part of the conference agenda, delegates were given the opportunity to visit our Swinden Quarry to learn more about the importance of quarrying in the Yorkshire Dales. We also sponsored the ‘National Parks Big Picnic’, a special celebration marking the 70th anniversary in the heart of Exmoor’s former Royal Forest.
Working in partnership with the Cheshire Wildlife Trust, we opened a new Discovery Centre at Crown Farm Quarry in Cheshire. The exciting new educational facility holds education sessions for local school children to encourage them learn about nature and how they can play their part in preserving it for the future. The groups can get up close and personal with nature as they explore the restored area of the quarry which has been turned in to a nature reserve.
Read more about the activities we have carried out this year here.