Social Value is happening all over Cheshire East and is improving the lives of the people that live here. We want to share and celebrate the great work that is happening and below are a few examples of what has been happening so far.
If you would like to know what has been achieved through procurement by our contractors please see our Social value in procurement page.
Have you been involved in delivering social Value and would you like to share your experiences and achievements?
Description: Fly tipping in the alleyways of Crewe had been a problem for a number of years with negative effects on the environment and residents.
Cheshire East Council worked with residents and local businesses to set up clean up teams to clear areas and create welcoming spaces and then supported Alley way champions to maintain the spaces
Organisations and individuals supporting the project:
The project improved relationships between residents and the council as well as created friendships between neighbours. There has also been financial and environmental improvements as there is no longer fly tipping in the areas supported.
Types of support
Donations or in-kind contributions to local community projects
£500 worth of cleaning resources and machinery donated by local businesses to clear the area.
Initiatives to ensure the positive impact on local green space
Partnership work to reduce waste and create a welcoming green space for residents
Initiatives to minimise waste and increase recycling
Number of hours volunteering time provided to support local community projects
Over 200 hours of volunteer time which saved £2970.
Organisation: Fed Cap and Bromley Bloomers
Description: Not-for-profit organisation Fedcap supported Bromley Bloomers on 20 September 2024 to transform their garden and delivered copies of their newsletter across the local estate. The day went incredibly well for all involved and has had a really positive impact for both the Bromley Bloomers and the volunteers from Fedcap that took part.
Organisations and individuals supporting the project:
Susie (Bromley Hub): “On behalf of our team, I want to extend a heartfelt thank you for welcoming us and allowing us to volunteer with you this year during Fedcap’s annual Community Day. It was an incredible opportunity to give back, but most importantly to those that provide support to our communities each and every day. We thank you so much for everything that you do and allowing us to be part of it, even just for a day! “We hope the experience was as enjoyable for you as it was for our team and that we are able to collaborate again.”
Types of support
Donations or in-kind contributions to local community projects
Lesley (Bromley Hub): “Firstly, I want to thank Fedcap for the immense help they gave us in transforming the garden and shifting a huge pile of bark. Secondly for delivering 615 copies of our first newsletter across the Estate. We were all a bit stiff the next day but felt the warm glow of satisfaction. Thanks Jenny, Susie & Brian for coordinating this for the Hub.
Jacqueline Corey (Social Value Manager, Fedcap): “We supported Bromley Bloomers on 20 September 2024, and had great feedback from them! Thank you so much for linking us together.
Some figures on our impact from the day:
17 volunteers, volunteering a total of 85 hours at Bromley Bloomers.
Volunteers hard at work
Volunteers enjoying the outdoors
Volunteers helping out the Bromley Bloomers
Organisation: Ringway Jacobs and Handforth Youth Centre
Description: Handforth Youth Centre wanted to develop a community allotment to help enhance the centre for all of its users and maintain an inclusive area for the community groups who use it, including three youth clubs, a dementia group and a veterans group.
Handforth Youth Centre is intended to be a haven for the various community groups who use it. To help them with this goal, staff from Cheshire East Highways volunteered to carry out a number of tasks for them.
Organisations and individuals supporting the project:
The project not only improved the centre's aesthetics and functionality but also reinforced the commitment to creating a welcoming space for all. The volunteers efforts were greatly appreciated by the centre and helped to foster a sense of community and collaboration. • Handforth Youth Centre appealed via Cheshire East Council’s Connected Communities Noticeboard for volunteers to help. In response to this appeal, a team from Cheshire East Highways stepped forward to assist and carry out the works required. Cheshire staff undertook the work through the volunteering scheme run by their employee Ringway Jacobs. Under this scheme, staff are each encouraged to take two days’ annual leave to work on projects that benefit the community.
Types of support
Number of hours volunteering time provided to support local community projects
Project Tasks completed: Weeding, installing wooden trellis’, planting plug plants, jet washing the courtyard, painting the foyer.
Project impact:
• Nick Brookes, Commercial Manager – “Thank you for the opportunity to contribute and help out with aspirations of Handforth Youth Centre. It was a great opportunity to get stuck in with the team and see real results at the end of the day. Thank you also to Steve Willis of Willis's Limited, for providing not only the workforce but also the tools and equipment and most importantly donating all the materials.”
• Handforth Town Council – “A big thank you from the Town Council to all the volunteers from Ringway Jacobs who have given up their time today to come to the Handforth Youth Centre to paint and freshen up the foyer and also jet wash and plant up the courtyard. A big improvement for all the user groups here.”
• Deborah Robinson, – “It was a really rewarding experience volunteering at Handforth Youth Centre to help them develop a community allotment. The day involved weeding, clearing up the existing flower beds and planting out some plug plants to brighten the area. We helped Steve Willis and his operatives decide which areas within the courtyard would be best to install wooden trellis and to build the raised flower or vegetable boxes. The opportunity to contribute to the centre has allowed us to give the local community as the area will be used by local youth clubs, a dementia group and a veterans group.”
• Jennifer Mulholland – “I was glad to be given the opportunity to volunteer at Handforth Youth Centre to help them develop a community allotment. The day involved helping out with gardening, new trellis' and planters. Being able to help give the local community was a very rewarding experience.”
• Rebecca Marsh – “It was a really rewarding and enjoyable experience volunteering at Handforth Youth Centre to help them develop a community allotment. We worked with one of our key supply chain partners to enhance the courtyard and paint the main foyer. The opportunity to contribute to the Centre has allowed us to give back the local community, as the area will be used by local youth clubs, a dementia group, and a veterans group. A day well spent, I would encourage everyone to take the opportunity to give back.”
Volunteer helping out at Handforth Youth Project
After the volunteers have finished
Volunteers helping out at Handforth Youth Centre
Organisation: Cheshire East Highways and ConNEXTions Recovery Hub
Description: ConNEXTions are a Recovery Hub based in Crewe and serve the community by helping those with addiction issues, providing a non-judgemental, confidential service. ConNEXTions was keen to clean up the gardening space at the side of their centre to help the attendees to start a gardening club to help improve confidence in the attendees by encouraging participation in an active and social pastime, teaching them useful life skills of growing their own foods.
To help in this aim, the centre was keen to improve the appearance and facilities to make the space more approachable and functional for the community. ConNEXTions appealed via Cheshire East Council’s Connected Communities Noticeboard for volunteers to help.
Organisations and individuals supporting the project:
The project achieved its objectives - helping the centres aim of making their outside space a more approachable and useable space for it’s attendees. But the benefits went far beyond (albeit very welcome) DIY. The Cheshire East staff were enthused by tasks and strong bonds were built between the company and the centre. The value of this project is captured by the following quotes: Chloe Lyons, Customer Service Apprentice – “volunteering at the recovery centre was an immensely fulfilling experience, not only did I get the opportunity to help improve the centre, it gave me the opportunity to connect with the local community and contribute to a new safe space to bring them together.” Carys Burton, Business Administration Apprentice - “It was a really rewarding experience volunteering for Connexions Recovery Hub at St. Andrews Church. It was a great opportunity to give back to the local community and help brighten the space, knowing it would create a more welcoming environment for everyone who uses the hub. The volunteering day gave me the opportunity to work with others to support a meaningful cause, and play a small part in making a positive impact.”
Types of support
Number of hours volunteering time provided to support local community projects
A team from Cheshire East Highways responded and 5 staff members joined the DIY effort over a day. They undertook a number of tasks which were greatly appreciated by the club.
The approach was to support the centres aim of turning the outside space into a functioning garden to provide their attendees with a safe inclusive space to be sociable and to learn valuable skills.
Taking instructions from the centres head volunteer, the Cheshire East Highways workers undertook several tasks including setting up a new planter, moving soil and painting the outside walls. The work tasks were set by the centre according to their needs and then delivered by the Cheshire East Highway teams over the day.
The staff undertook the work through the volunteering scheme run by their employee Ringway Jacobs. Under this scheme, staff can each take two days’ volunteering days to work on projects that benefit the community. The ConNEXTions Recovery Hub project fitted this aim perfectly.
Volunteers carrying out some painting
Volunteers hard at work
A volunteer painting the wall
Organisation: Middlewich Community Bowling Club and Ringway Jacobs
Description: Middlewich Community Bowling Club's main objectives for 2024 was to encourage the local community to enjoy the experience of crown green bowling, which has proven benefits of not only physical exercise, but improved wellbeing, socialising and making friends.
To create a more professional and friendly environment, it was decided to refurbish the bowling green gardens and surrounding areas. This was a huge task for our ageing volunteers and progress was painfully slow.
We were encouraged to seek additional help via the Cheshire East Connected Communities Noticeboard. This quickly produced a positive response from Ringway Jacobs (Cheshire East Highways division) who provided 13 volunteers over a two-day period in April to make these improvements
Organisations and individuals supporting the project:
Brian Moss (Middlewich Community Bowling Club) - The Connected Communities Noticeboard has proved to be a very positive path for making connections between different groups, to bring benefits not just to the participating parties involved but to a wider audience; in our case the local community can now enjoy playing bowls in a very pleasant environment. Once again thank you to everyone involved in bringing this project to a successful conclusion. l think one of the key aspects of the Noticeboard success is that both parties involved have a rewarding experience, what you might call a win win situation. We at the bowling club obviously benefitted from all the hard work from the volunteers but it was clear this was not a chore to be completed by the volunteers but an enjoyable experience in giving to our local community,
Below are comments from some of the volunteers that supported the project: Dan Brierley, Area Manager for Cheshire East Highways said, "Volunteering is the heartbeat of our community, it was great to have all departments involved. This was a rewarding experience which allowed us to give to the community and gain a new hobby. We pushed to give as much as we could for the local bowling club who showed their appreciation all day. A big difference was made"
Christian Dickson, Drainage Works Coordinator for Cheshire East Highways, said “‘I had an amazing day with a great team, volunteering at Middlewich Community Bowling Club. The day involved helping out with odd jobs, painting fences and benches, weeding, clearing an old compost area and general tidying up. Doing something worthwhile for a great bowling club was a very rewarding experience especially with a game of bowls to end the day where I found that I was surprisingly good!
Beth Heywood, Health and Safety Business Partner for Cheshire East Highways said, “Volunteering at the local bowling club was an immensely fulfilling experience. It provided us with the opportunity to actively contribute to the well-being of the club and, by extension, the local community. Beyond the practical tasks, volunteering allowed us as a team to connect with the local community and in turn we have been invited back for a teambuilding day. The camaraderie among fellow volunteers and the sense of purpose made this experience truly rewarding and I would encourage everyone to explore opportunities to make a difference in their local communities”.
Ron Henderson, Drainage Manager for Cheshire East Highways, “I really enjoyed being able to give back to the local community, we’re lucky to be in a position to do this through our social value days. It was a lovely day, accompanied by the nice weather! Made a nice change to the day-to-day pace and we really contributed towards the bowling club and its members which is self-funding and self-ran. End of the day we were also given a masterclass in green bowls! Would definitely do this again!”
Types of support
Number of hours volunteering time provided to support local community projects
Ringway Jacobs provided 13 volunteers over two days in April to complete the following tasks:
Gardening, painting, tool shed, fences, tables, benches, irrigation of bowling green, various repairs, weeding and general tidy up.
Volunteers from Ringway Jacobs painting one of the benches
Bowling Green after the work is complete
Volunteers from Ringway Jacobs
Organisation: Nantwich Methodist Church and Ringway Jacobs
Description: Nantwich Methodist Church is used for various community groups including friendship groups, clubs for children of all ages and even holds steam train rides. To help enhance the centre for all its users and maintain an inclusive area for the local community, they wanted to rejuvenate their main hall room and corridor.
The project not only improved the churches aesthetics and functionality but also reinforced the commitment to creating a welcoming space for all. The volunteers' efforts were greatly appreciated by the church and helped to build a sense of community and collaboration.
Organisations and individuals supporting the project:
Due to a lack of able people and equipment required, they requested via Cheshire East Council’s Connected Communities Noticeboard for volunteers to help. In response, a team from Cheshire East Highways stepped forward to assist and carry out the works required.Volunteers, including Cheshire East Highways staff and operatives from Willis, a supply chain partner, were mobilised to carry out the necessary tasks.
Types of support
The work involved the painting of the main hall room and the removal of a laurel hedge that Willis has carried out. The work was carried out over two separate days to paint and support the church.
Highways staff undertook the work through the volunteering scheme run by their employee Ringway Jacobs. Under this scheme, staff are each encouraged to take two volunteer days to work on projects that benefit the community. The Nantwich Methodist Church project fitted this aim perfectly.
Quotes
“I volunteered at the Nantwich Methodist Church doing painting and decorating. It was a very rewarding and refreshing experience for me. The people I worked with were friendly and passionate. I would consider doing more volunteering in the future.” – Sulayman Ahmed
“It was really rewarding to have the chance to give back to the community, especially the community I have called home for the past 7 years. The day involved stripping back of furnishings and painting one of Nantwich Methodist Hall large meeting rooms. The Nantwich Methodist Church is one of the central hubs of Nantwich and is used widely by the community.” – Oliver Jackson
“It was a rewarding experience volunteering at Nantwich Methodist Church. We worked very well as part of a team and delegated jobs between us to get the task of painting a large room complete.
Eddie was very welcoming and appreciative of our time and efforts, and I would be more than happy to give up more of my time to help out in future.“ – Stacey Trueman
The Team helping out at the church
Painting to be done!!
Cleaning the community room before the painting begins
Organisation: Kornit Digital (KornitX) and Silk Museum, Macclesfield
Description: Alex Rose (Kornit) - Just wanted to let you know that a small group of merry Volunteers from Kornit gave their time yesterday to help out at the Macclesfield Silk Museum to bring their Tunnicliffe Garden back to life.
The garden has been awarded a Gold Award by Britain in Bloom 2024 in the Small Tourist Attraction category.
Why is it called the Tunnicliffe Garden?
Charles Tunnicliffe OBE (1901 - 1979) was born in Langley, Macclesfield and he studied in the main Silk Museum building when it was the Macclesfield School of Art. Tunnicliffe is most well-known for his stunning paintings, etchings and engravings of birds, copies of these can be found dotted around the garden.
Organisations and individuals supporting the project:
Congratulations to all our volunteers for making this happen, I think it's safe to say this really helped build morale and team bonding through giving back collectively & gave all volunteers a strong sense of belonging and connection by giving back to our local community.
Types of support
Number of hours volunteering time provided to support local community projects
The volunteers carried out tasks including lining planters, painting planters, sweeping, weeding, planting, painting pots and generally tidying the garden of rubbish etc.
Natalie (Silk Museum) - ‘We were bowled over by how much the team from Kornit got done in an afternoon. They were a delight to have in the museum, they worked really hard and have really helped kick start our spring/summer season for the garden. Thank you!’
Tunnicliffe Garden
The 'Merry Volunteers'
Volunteers hard at work
Organisation: Right at Home South Cheshire and Mid Cheshire
Description: The Right at Home Sandbach Bereavement Group, led by Rosie Hilditch of Rosie Hilditch Counselling, is a community initiative aimed at providing support and guidance to individuals who have experienced the loss of a loved one. The group sessions, held on the last Friday of the month in September, October, and November, have been attended by 25 members of the local Sandbach and Middlewich community. This case study highlights the impact of the free to attend group and the positive feedback received from attendees.
Organisations and individuals supporting the project:
The need for a bereavement support group was identified by Lucie Ferneyhough, the Community Development Officer at Cheshire East Council, and Tania Beckett, the Social Prescribing Link Worker at Ashfields Surgery in Sandbach. Recognising the need and benefits of such a group, Lucie and Tania approached Carole Salmon, the Community Engagement Manager at Right at Home South & Mid Cheshire. After a meeting between Lucie and Carole, on behalf of Right at Home South Cheshire Carole offered the use of the Training room in the Sandbach Literary Institute once a month on a Friday afternoon from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm.The Sandbach Bereavement Group has had a profound impact on the attendees, providing them with a space to express their grief and find solace in the shared experiences of others. Many attendees initially felt reluctant to speak but were encouraged by the supportive atmosphere and Rosie's guidance. With the coping mechanisms shared by Rosie, attendees have been able to develop strategies to navigate their grief and find some measure of comfort. Rosie also provided takeaway materials to support attendees in their healing journey beyond the group sessions. Feedback: One attendee shared, "The Right at Home Sandbach Bereavement Group has been an incredible source of support for me during this difficult time. I initially hesitated to speak, but the welcoming atmosphere and guidance from Rosie allowed me to open up and share my grief. The coping mechanisms shared have been invaluable, and the group has given me a sense of community and understanding that I didn't expect. I am grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this group." Carole Salmon, the Community Engagement Manager at Right at Home South & Mid Cheshire, expressed, "The Sandbach Bereavement Group has been an incredible opportunity for us to connect with and get to know our community members on a deeper level. Through the group sessions, we have been able to witness first hand how our person-centred care services have positively impacted the lives of individuals and their families. It is heartening to hear attendees share how our services have provided comfort and support during their difficult times. This experience has reinforced our commitment to delivering exceptional care tailored to the unique needs of each individual we serve." Conclusion: The Right at Home Sandbach Bereavement Group has successfully provided a much-needed support system for individuals coping with grief in the Sandbach and Middlewich community. Through collaboration between Right at Home South Cheshire and Rosie Hilditch Counselling, this initiative has made a significant positive impact on the lives of attendees. The group sessions have offered a safe space for individuals to share their experiences, learn coping mechanisms, and find solace in the company of others. Right at Home South Cheshire are continuing to support the sessions in 2024.
