Helping Hands - Our Social Value Initiative

As Hughes and Salvidge continues to grow, so does our responsibility to the communities in which we operate. Approaching the 60th anniversary of our founding, we find ourselves working on projects of all sizes in an array of locations, close to our offices in Portsmouth and London Heathrow Airport, as well as across the length and breadth of the UK.

On a micro level, our social value should be measured based on how our operations impact those living in immediate proximity to our sites. Besides that, it’s companies and local governments in the surrounding area and beyond - ultimately, our impact on the planet as a whole. Our Helping Hands initiative sets out 5 key areas in which we maximise social value on every job:

Charity

The most valuable thing that any person or organisation can give to a charity is often their time. This is why we provide volunteer hours to local causes and charities in the areas around our permanent offices as well as identifying potential volunteering opportunities near upcoming projects at the tendering stage of a project. If clients have preferred charities and/or existing partnerships we encourage collaboration as we are always keen to get involved with causes important to the companies we work with. Hughes and Salvidge are continuously searching for volunteer opportunities for our site-based and non-site-based staff, which comes in the form of both larger events and little community wins.

Hughes and Salvidge are proud of our record of sponsoring events and individuals in the communities surrounding our offices and projects, as well as making seasonal donations to local charities/charitable causes.

Community

Building and maintaining positive relationships with local schools is a vital and rewarding part of Hughes and Salvidge’s work. Our staff regularly deliver presentations on site safety as well as attend career days for various age groups to educate young people on what they could expect from a career in our industry, and any potential entry routes that may be open to them.

Many of our larger decommissioning projects are on structures which have stood as pillars in their area supporting individuals and families, and contributing massively to local economies. The people employed in these places, whether it’s a power plant or a factory, have extensive knowledge and can be truly invaluable when it comes to enacting our demolition plans, so it is quite common for those employees to be retained in an advisory capacity. We also endeavour to utilise labour from within 25 miles of any given project in addition to our core team.

It goes without saying that the safety of all those in the area surrounding our sites is a priority. We ensure lit hoarding is installed with secure gates, among other solutions to create a safe site perimeter. We regularly include viewing panels so the community can observe works being undertaken too.

Sustainability

Upcycling is key to our sustainability strategy, with opportunities and items identified at tender stage before being passed to a relevant charity in our growing “reverse supply chain” to be repurposed elsewhere. Recycling rates across our sites are above 97%, and there is ongoing research into ways to recycle even asbestos, which has naturally been a limiting factor to this point.

We partner with various charities and organisations to plant trees in order to help the environment, and will also liaise with clients to organise tree planting and/or replanting where the removal of an existing tree is necessary in order for a project to commence. We are committed to continuous reduction in our operational carbon emissions with ongoing investment in newer, more efficient plant and machinery including a target to have an exclusively electric/hybrid fleet.

Wellness

It is vitally important to look after all stakeholders where possible. Hughes and Salvidge’s in-house mental health initiative offers support to our employees and their families, as well as extending to subcontractors and non-direct labour. As well as our own initiative, we identify local mental health initiatives to support in the areas where we operate.

Food banks have unfortunately become a necessary safety net for more and more families in recent years, so donating to these is another way in which we look out for the wellbeing of our local communities - with ad-hoc donations around projects and large bi-annual collections at our head office.

Development

From continuous professional development for our staff in the form of ongoing training provisions and detailed development plans to supporting local economies and regional business growth, development across the board is what we strive for. Utilising local supply chains and labour contributes to this, as well as the ongoing task of identifying local training providers for apprenticeships and similar qualifications.

Focusing on these 5 key elements ensures that Hughes and Salvidge are always conscious of the impact we are having on our local communities and the wider world - and invariably this helps to keep that impact as positive as possible.