NPS constantly strives to contribute positively to the communities in which we operate. This sense of responsibility runs through the heart of our organisation and is reflected in our core values and our Community Investment Strategy.
For a number of years the Group has supported colleagues in raising money for national charity days such as ‘Jeans for Genes’, ‘Wear it Pink’ and ‘Red Nose Day’, and it is expected that we will continue to support such events in the coming year. One of our key aims for 2010-11 is for the Group to continue to engage itself with the local community and support local voluntary initiatives.
Support to Charities and Community Organisations
NPS provides support for many local charities and community organisations. This is given not only in financial terms, but also by pro-bono professional advice and allowing employee time to provide practical assistance and fundraising support. A selection of the range of organisations supported is shown below.
- NPS was a sponsor of the Red Balloon Ball paying £1000 towards the event. Red Balloon is a charity that provides a safe educational environment for bullied children and one of our staff David Buxton, won Business in the Community's eastern region 'Individual Staff Volunteer of the Year' award, for his fundraising and personal work for the charity.
- Rob Witton a building surveyor at our Norwich office, ran the London Marathon for Macmillan Cancer Support and raised £1,536.
- Steve Graveling, also a Building surveyor at our Norwich office, ran the London Marathon for ‘Children with Leukaemia’ and raised £3,060 in total including donations from colleagues. Part of that total (£2,500) was also raised by NPS not sending out Christmas cards and sending Christmas greetings on-line instead.
- Nick Cook, Keith Mason and Adrian Perkins from our Ivybridge office, undertook the Water Aid challenge climbing Ben Macdui the highest munro (mountain) in Scotland to raise funds for the charity.
- Two of our surveyors based at our Humber office, Dominic Hooko and James Strawhorn, are volunteers for the charity FREED (UK). Dominic was a founding member of the charity which sends professional volunteers to the deprived Nandom district in Ghana to help locals develop their healthcare and education. Whilst they are in Nandom a football tournament was organised by James and locals wore Hull City AFC home and away football strips which have been donated by NPS, to compete for a football trophy donated by FREED (UK).
- Staff in our Exeter office sponsored a gardening competition for primary schools to design their own environmental garden. The winning design was entered into the Devon County Show and then built at the school.
- Sponsorship of the ARC Architectural Exhibition. ARC is the architecture centre for Hull and the Humber sub-region.
- Business in the Community (BITC) and ProHelp. NPS has been a member of the Eastern Region of Business in the Community for the past 7 years and a supporter of its pro-bono company - Norfolk ProHelp - for the last 5 years. ProHelp is an organisation which enables member companies to assist charities with their professional support. In addition to the financial support (this is our 4th year as a principal funder), NPS also provides pro-bono support by offering the services of its professional team. This sponsorship by NPS has contributed to Norfolk ProHelp becoming the most successful regional ProHelp agency in the country.
- Outward Bound - NPS also contributes £5K a year to a Community Leadership initiative with Outward Bound Limited in the Wakefield area to promote the well being of young people, creating role models and offering opportunities for young people from all backgrounds to develop and create employment opportunities to meet their needs and skills.
- Our Castleford office is actively involved in the Community Foundation for Wakefield, being represented on the Board of Trustees and contributing to the annual running costs, as well as being recognised as the first example of staff fundraising for the Foundation. Each donation is matched through the Government’s endowment challenge.
- NPS Group is supporting the work of Age Concern Norwich during 2010-11, with sponsorship of its befriending programme. The befriending programme offers an important service to elderly people who, due to their location or other reasons, are particularly isolated. Volunteers either visit an individual or keep in contact via the telephone. NPS is funding the administrative support for the scheme with a donation of £10,000.
Build Norfolk / Build the East
We are in the fifth year of the award winning initiative, ‘Build Norfolk’, part of Norfolk County Council’s economic development strategy, aimed at helping small to medium enterprises (SMEs) to develop skills and capacity. This is to enable local businesses to benefit from the major developments proposed in the county and region. To date over 740 businesses have registered with the network and 73% have asked for and been given business support. During the past year, £42m of work has been awarded to registered businesses.
As part of our ‘Build the East’ concept and with the support of the Norfolk County Council Framework Constructors, we have widened the influence of ‘Build Norfolk’ with the successful launch of ‘Build Essex’ and ‘Build Hertfordshire’ during 2009. Financial support from the two County Councils has now been supplemented by contributions from their framework contractors, who have recognised the value of these networks.
Build Norfolk has also extended its remit to promote the full range of careers for young people in the built environment, in partnership with Connexions and Norfolk County Council. With the aim of helping young people to make more informed subject and career choices, three successful events were held during the year, as follows.
- A workshop for Connexions advisers and teachers
- A seminar for teachers of the new CBE diploma on the design process
- An event promoting managerial, technical and professional careers, attended by young people, parents and teachers
In support of the County Council’s objectives, 24 six month work placements have also been provided through the Future Jobs Fund, some of which have now been converted into long term employment.
