Our commitment

We are very much aware of our corporate responsibility to use our resources for the benefit not only of our customers and shareholders, but also for the wider community.   We want to give something back to the communities we serve and last year, we invested more than 1% of pre-tax profits through our community programme.  The programme aims to maximise our support and make a positive impact through a wide range of initiatives, a few of which are highlighted below.

Employee volunteering
Just an hour is Essex and Suffolk Water’s highly successful employee volunteering programme, launched in July 2002.  We recognised both the need to take our community support beyond a pure donation of cash and also the wealth of knowledge, skills and expertise of our employees.  A structured programme of employee involvement in the community designed to impact on education, the environment and the general well being of the community has been developed. 

One of the main objectives is to add value to the community and to realise this, each of our employees has been given the opportunity to take at least 12 working hours a year to support community initiatives.

Since its launch, 31% of our employees have signed up and have committed 11,000 hours in support of the communities we serve.  

The Just an hour programme was awarded the prestigious ‘Big Tick’ accreditation through Business in the Community’s Awards for Excellence in 2005.

Payroll giving
The Essex and Suffolk Water Payroll Giving Programme was launched in October 2005.  Payroll Giving is a simple tax effective way that enables employees to make donations to their chosen charities straight from their gross salary.  Every pound pledged by employees levers a contribution of £3 to nominated charities - we meet all administration costs.

Employee sponsorship – Cheque it out
We also support employees who are actively involved with local community projects outside of normal working hours.  Employees can apply to Cheque it out, our employee sponsorship fund for a contribution to boost their own fundraising efforts.  There are some terrific examples of employees requesting sponsorship to help their community.  Employees can also request raffle prizes, volunteering from colleagues or appropriate use of company facilities.

Care for Safety Challenge
The Essex and Suffolk Water care for Safety challenge was formally launched in April 2004 in partnership with Mencap, a charity supporting people with a learning disability.  As part of a health and safety initiative, the challenge was established to help raise awareness and improve our health and safety record whilst at the same time generating vital funds for Mencap.  More than £85,000 has been raised.

Grant giving
We have established endowment funds, which are managed by the four Community Foundations within our areas of supply.  These endowments provide an annual income to support community and environmental projects that fit with our criteria.  Employee committees decide which projects should receive funding.

Community sponsorships
Many of our community sponsorships are focussed on health initiatives which reinforce our Water for health message.

Essex & Suffolk Water Community Fund

As part of our overall policy on corporate responsibility and our long-term corporate vision of supporting local communities, we established the Essex & Suffolk Water Community Fund to support local charities now and in the future.

The Fund is managed by local grantmaking charitable trust, Essex Community Foundation, which manages funds on behalf of companies, individuals and public agencies.  By tapping into the Foundation’s knowledge and expertise we are able to increase our understanding of the needs of local charities, which helps us to have a greater impact with the grants that we award and so we can be sure that the grants awarded from our Fund are really making a difference to the lives of local people.  

The Essex & Suffolk Water Community Fund supports charities and voluntary groups working in the Essex & Suffolk Water supply areas, with a particular focus on groups protecting the environment, promoting health and well-being, education and community support.   Applications  for grants of up to £1,500 are preferred.

Since it was established in April 2003, the Essex & Suffolk Water Community Fund has awarded 53 grants totalling £32,548.

Abberton Scheme Community Fund

In addition to the Essex & Suffolk Water Community Fund, we established the Abberton Scheme Community Fund to provide an annual income for the duration of the Abberton expansion works.  This Fund supports social and charitable activities in the communities affected by the Abberton scheme.  It is our way of saying 'thank you' for the patience and co-operation of these communities. 
 
Since it was established in 2005, the Abberton Scheme Community Fund has awarded 10 grants totalling £4,877. 

To apply for a grant from either the Essex & Suffolk Water Community Fund or the Abberton Scheme Community Fund, please contact Essex Community Foundation on 01245 356 018 or visit their website www.essexcommunityfoundation.org.uk