Social Value
SOCIAL VALUE CASE STUDY:
FOREST GATE FIRE STATION, BLACKPOOL
Schofield and Sons have been working closely with LFRS Kings Trust NEET Programme workers and learners. We have been supporting them for their duration of their programme, starting off with a careers talk about working in construction from our Framework Support and Bid Writer, Stephen Longhurst.
We provided them with vouchers and paint materials for their community engagement project where they painted the building and tidied up the gardens at the local Leyton cemetery.
Following on from the Careers talk, we have had two of the learners who are interested in careers in construction to gain work experience on our Forest Gate live project where they did a variety of joinery and multi trade tasks for six days over two weeks.
Our Operations Director, Stephen Leach held mock interviews with all 9 participants who are interested in a variety of careers, providing feedback to the programme leaders to help them with future employment. He researched what career each participant would like to pursue and then tailored the interviews to those jobs.
We have recently donated 20 Easter Eggs for prizes for their team challenge that will be coming up soon and at the start of April we will be holding a site visit for the learners and workers so that they can see what a working construction site will look like.
Outside of the LFRS Kings Trust NEET Programme, we have a young person studying Architecture at Preston College. She is currently gaining work experience on our Forest Gate site as part of our Women in Construction initiative.
We were thrilled to learn that after taking part in the careers talk, on-site work experience and mock interviews, one of the members of the Kings Trust NEET group has now applied to a local college to gain a qualification in Carpentry.
SOCIAL VALUE CASE STUDY:
BUILE HILL MANSION, SALFORD
On award of the project, we were introduced to the Buile Hill Park Mansion Association who had been fundamental in saving the Mansion House from being auctioned off to the most competitive developer. With help of the association and Mayor Paul Dennett, the Mansion House has remained within the community and will continue to do so for many years.
We engaged with the Association in the early days of the project and asked how we could help. They have events running throughout the year in the park and suggested we assist with these. One of the first events we helped with was the use of our storage cabins and welfare units which were used to store presents for the Christmas Santa event where hundreds of presents were given to local children within the area.
As the association had a real interest in the works being carried out and our progress, our site manager, delivered fortnightly updates on this and provided pre-arranged tours of the works on several occasions. These where documented through social media channels. On the internal demolition and stripping out of the Mansion House we discovered lots of quirky artefacts from the previous users of the building, we collected these together and allowed the association to take them off site for safe keeping.
Local to the park is The Hive Community Wellbeing Hub; the creation of local resident Chantell, an advocate for both Young Parkinsons and Rock Steady Boxing. Chantell dedicates all her time to the hub with urgent appeals to the local community to help renovate the building. Following an appeal, we made contact with Chantell and offered our assistance. We painted the full exterior of the building to give its unique colour and attraction; based on it being a Beehive and consistent with the Manchester branding.
SOCIAL VALUE IMPACT:
EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE EXPERIENCING HOMELESSNESS
We are committed to delivering measurable social value through our projects, and our partnership with Standing Tall is a clear example of this in action. Standing Tall connects individuals experiencing homelessness with stable employment and wraparound support, enabling them to rebuild their lives with dignity and independence.
Working closely with Francisco, the Manchester Talent Scout, we have already facilitated two successful work placements within our operations. These placements provide not only paid employment but also mentorship, skills development, and a supportive environment to help individuals transition back into the workplace.
Our ambition is to grow this partnership year-on-year, increasing the number of placements and working collaboratively to remove barriers to employment.
This initiative contributes directly to:
- Supporting vulnerable groups into long-term, sustainable work
- Reducing social inequality within our local communities
- Strengthening the local economy by unlocking untapped talent
By embedding this approach into our business practices, we are ensuring that every project we deliver has a positive, lasting impact beyond the physical works—helping to build stronger, more inclusive communities.
STANDING TALL MISSION
“We exist to champion the hidden talent on our streets. And to change public perceptions of people experiencing homelessness.
We want to live in a society where nobody is ever discounted because of the situation they find themselves in. Everyone has value, and we’re committed to helping people discover their potential.
We believe in the power of opportunity and its ability to transform lives.”