We are proud to provide a sustainable, affordable, clean and safe water supply and to manage and treat the waste water returned to us in a way that protects the environment.
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.
| Just an hour | Payroll giving | Cheque it out |
| Care for safety challenge | Grant giving | Community sponsorships |
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 15 working hours a year to support community initiatives.
Since the launch of 'Just an hour' in 2002 our employees have committed over 43,000 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. Essex & Suffolk Water recognizes that we have a responsibility to the area we work in and operate out of. Our Just an hour initiative enables staff to volunteer for environmental, educational and community projects during their working day. Take a look at some of the community work we have done.
The Essex & 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. More than 15% of our employees have signed up for the programme since its launch. Last Year over £12,000 was donated to numerous charities and worthy causes supported by over 130 members of staff.
Many of our employees take advantage of our employee sponsorship programme. ‘Cheque it Out’ enables our staff to apply for funds to help local groups that they or their immediate family are involved in. Below are some examples of how these funds have been used:
Customer Advisor, Julie Hunter who is based at St Mary’s, requested the help of Cheque it Out for a cash donation towards Cancer Research UK. Julie took part in the Great South Run in October 2009, the ten mile run which begins at Portsmouth seafront and finishes in Southsea. Thanks to friends, family, colleagues and Cheque it Out, She managed to raise a tremendous £230 for the charity. When asked about the mission, Julie replied: ‘I must admit half way through the training I felt like I would not be ready, but on the day I found I was able to run the whole course. My time was 1hr 41mins - I had aimed for 1hr 40, so was really pleased with this time.’
Andy Hill of the I.S department at Hanningfield requested a donation for Bournemouth Park Primary School on behalf of his daughter who is a teacher there. As Art Coordinator for the school, Andy’s daughter Emma needed funds to purchase resources for a new Art Club she had started. The £50 donation went towards brushes, palettes, chalk, pastels and other helpful art materials.
Leon Debell, who left his department of Estates and Conservation to go traveling, used Cheque it Out for his estimated 5000km cycle from Cuba to Costa Rica. The £50 donation was able to help him obtain a bike for the exhausting cycle ride in which he aims to raise thousands for deserving charities WaterAid, SOS Children’s Villages, Cancer Research UK and Screaming green.
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.
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.
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.
Many of our sponsorships support health initiatives which encourage children into sport while at the same time give us the opportunity to promote the importance of drinking water as part of a healthy lifestyle.
Chelmsford Mini Games
The Chelmsford Mini Games is a sporting event for children aged 6 & 7, held at Chelmsford Sport & Athletics Centre, run by Chelmsford borough Council in June each year leading up to the 2012 Olympics. Last year 42 (out of 50) primary schools took part – totalling over 1500 children. First of all, the schools parade around the athletics track representing the country they have chosen to be at the year’s competition, accompanied by a marching band, stilt walkers and cheerleaders whilst flying flags, holding banners and wearing hats just like an Olympic opening ceremony.
Then the competitions begin. Each school completes a circuit of the track, participating in 6 different events, helped by their teachers and student volunteer leaders from secondary schools - people who are studying to be PE teachers or volunteers in the community. After the competition, each child receives a certificate and a goodie bag presented by a representative from ESW, who also says a few words about the virtues of healthy living, actively participating in sports and the importance of drinking water. Gold Silver and Bronze medals are awarded to winning individuals and schools.
Southend United Community and Educational Trust Disability Programme
The Sports Disability Programme is well under way following funding support from Essex & Suffolk Water. Special needs schools in South East Essex are receiving free coaching session in football and Multi Sport which are specially designed for all children to take part in no matter what there ability. Working with the FA the SU Community Trust also aims to develop a Southend United Hand Disability Football team to compete at both Regional and National Levels. In total over 500 young people will take part in the programme in 2010.
Blues Bodycare Primary School programme
The schools programmes consist of an infant programme aimed at school year 1 / 2 children and a junior programme aimed at school year 5/6 children. The programmes encourage children to become more aware of the benefits of a healthy lifestyle and are linked to the school curriculum in a fun but educational way. Over the five week programme children keep an activity diary, collect football stickers for each activity and are rewarded with certificates for their achievements. Each weekly session last for one hour and consists of part theory and part practical. Themes include: the difference between healthy and treat foods, healthy meals; 5 a day fruit and vegetables; exercise, its effect on the heart and body and maintaining a Healthy Lifestyle.
Lowestoft Airshow
We have sponsored the Lowestoft airshow as a gold sponsor. The show is East Anglia’s largest event with 2009 visitor numbers exceeding 400,000. In 2010 we will be sponsoring the Tigers Parachute Display Team – who have agreed to visit the St Mary’s Office during the show.