Trivallis is being hailed for its work to build stronger communities as a finalist in the Business in the Community (BITC) Wales Responsible Business Awards.
Twenty three companies, of all sizes and locations across Wales, were judged by 35 independent business leaders to be exemplars that celebrate, champion and, crucially, inspire others through their responsible behaviour and practice.
Trivallis is a finalist in the NPTC Group of Colleges Education category for its work with Ferndale School and Careers Wales to develop the skills of pupils and regenerate its nurture area.
Lisa Roberts, Community Projects Officer at Trivallis, said: “Being nominated for this award gives well deserved recognition to so many of us who have given our time and skills to support people in our communities. Many of the pupils at Ferndale Community School (FCS) live in Penrhys and the surrounding areas, so engaging with the school was an opportunity to support the development of young people living in our homes and to alleviate the stigma associated with deprived areas, raising the aspirations and prospects of young people.
“Our partnership began with colleagues supporting pupils with presentation training and mock interviews in early 2018. We then invited students from FCS into Trivallis to experience the world of work, a tour of our head office and to meet our staff. Students had an opportunity to ask staff questions about their roles and visit one of our sheltered housing schemes, chatting about housing and the career opportunities the sector offers. The students interviewed our CEO; asking key questions about career development and receiving feedback on what employers look for.”
As well as working on developing the skills of the pupils, a Time for Change project was carried out at the school.
“FCS has lost its 6th form building and ‘nurture centre’, a space for children who lack confidence or struggle with day to day school life get support. In December 2018 Trivallis delivered a ‘Time For Change’ employee volunteering programme to renovate a space within the school to act as their nurture centre. Time for Change is an initiative run by Trivallis where volunteers give up their time and skills to make real changes to the lives of people in our communities.
“Volunteers from Trivallis and partner organisations gave time and resources to re-develop a disused space within the school into a new nurture centre. This involved landscaping, creating new rooms and painting. We enlisted the help of pupils with an interest in painting and decorating and children who regularly used the former nurture building to help instil a sense of pride in the new space. Between partners and Trivallis colleagues, on the Ferndale Comprehensive School project alone, over 270 hours were given to transform the building, 6 partner organisations were involved in the project. Donations of materials from partners totalled £3,372 bringing the monetary value of the project to £6,493.” Lisa added.
Sarah Hall, a teacher at Ferndale Community School said: “This project is something which we hope we can carry on annually. It’s the first time something like this has been done through business class and Rhian, our careers advisor from Careers Wales is now taking this forward to business class as an exemplary model or a partnership between an organisation and a school.”
The awards ceremony will be held in Cardiff on the evening of the 27th June.
Matt Appleby, director of BITC Cymru, said: “These businesses are, in a multitude of ways, making a difference to schools, communities, staff, the economy and the environment throughout Wales. They are touching many thousands of lives in a positive way. Most importantly, they are offering inspiring examples of responsible business practices which others will choose to follow.
“At times of growing uncertainty and inequality, we need good news stories such as these. Thank you to those businesses who keep making a commitment to purpose beyond profit and putting social and environmental issues at the heart of their operations. And thank you too to our judges, the 35 business leaders who had the very challenging but highly enjoyable job of deciding which companies reached the top of this list”.
The Wales Responsible Business Awards 2019 shortlisted companies are:
The BITC Cymru Responsible Large Business of the Year Award
- Cardiff Business School
- Kingspan Insulated Panels
The Welsh Government SME of the Year Award
- Rhondda Housing Association
- Burns Pet Nutrition
The ACT Training Inspiring Young Talent Award
- Pobl Group
- GE Aviation Wales
The Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water Wellbeing at Work Award
- South Wales Police
- NPTC Group of Colleges
- Gower College Swansea
The GE Aviation Wales Diversity & Inclusion Award
- Legal & General Wales
- Enbarr Foundation CIC & Enbarr Enterprises Ltd
The NPTC Group of Colleges Education Award
- Bouygues UK
- Costain Ltd
- Trivallis
The Wales & West Utilities Community Partnership Award
- Jehu Group
- Boots UK Ltd
- Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water
The Wales Environmental Award
- Kingspan Insulated Panels
- Techlan Ltd
- Castleoak
- Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water
The Volunteering Impact Award
- Principality Building Society
- Kingspan Insulated Panels
The following companies were also reaccredited for their ongoing commitment to being a responsible business:
- Costain Ltd
- ACT Training
- Brecon Carreg Mineral Water
- Principality Building Society
- Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd
- Trivallis
- IKEA Cardiff