Unlocking Social Value Report 2024/2025

A group of budding gardeners from St Oswald’s Primary School left their mark on a new housing development in Hebburn. With the support of Able Construction, eight Year Five pupils helped plant the first flowers in the communal garden.

Able’s commitment to social value goes beyond the flowerbeds. Through interactive sessions, they supported the pupils to explore design and technology, gaining hands-on experience in construction. A £500 donation from Able helped equip their school with a workbench and tools, ensuring they could continue to develop their skills and aspirations.

“Seeing the pupils getting stuck in has been truly rewarding—it’s been about giving them a glimpse into their future.” – Les Wharton, Contracts Manager at Able

In Hartlepool, RE:GEN’s team saw an opportunity to support the community during their planned housing improvements. While renting space in Belle Vue Community Centre, they discovered the youth club kitchen—used to prepare meals for over 200 children a week—was no longer fit for purpose.

With support from their supply chain partners, they funded and fitted a brand-new kitchen, helping children in the community to continue receiving the meals they rely on.

“We wanted to leave something behind that mattered—this kitchen will support local children for years to come.” – Dave Brown, Operations Director, RE:GEN

We've been able to bring together our supply chain to support our community partners with things that really matter to them. 

West Northumberland Foodbank were able to benefit from three key partnerships:

• APM Cleaning volunteered specialist cleaning services for a one off clean of the building, leading to a longer term partnership and support with monthly cleaning 
• Property consultant Storm Tempest conducted a building survey around energy efficiency, providing recommendations and advice on funding opportunities.
• BDS (Northern) Ltd volunteered expert advice and hands-on support around HR policies. Thanks to their time and expertise of BDS’ Operations Manager, Louise Ibberson, the food bank was able to manage its HR needs independently, ensuring its staff and volunteers are fully supported.

“Louise’s guidance has given us the confidence to take control of our HR function—we’re so grateful for her time and support.” – Sam Gilchrist, Project Manager

Over 700 children across the North East are fuelling their school day with Greggs Foundation Breakfast Clubs, thanks to Unlocking Social Value funding from Karbon Homes.

The investment will help to prevent food insecurity, feeding pupils in a total of 11 primary schools from Seaham to Wylam, who previously arrived at lessons hungry.

The £60k funding is, for the next two years, part of the social value commitment to Karbon from three of its material contracts suppliers, Jewson, CEF and Wolseley.

Chris McKenna, Regional Sales Manager at Wolseley, UK said: “Wolseley are delighted to be involved with contributing to the community. We see it as part of our responsibility as we employ lots of people in the local area and the young children coming through could be future employees of ours so it’s good to give back to them.

“It feels great to see the money going to good use, it’s fantastic to see all the young kids here all happy and getting a good breakfast.”

For some, a helping hand into employment is life-changing. Robertson Group gave Karbon Homes residents the chance to explore careers in construction, offering a five-day hands-on skills course.

From bricklaying to painting and decorating, participants gained real experience and even secured certifications, opening the door to new job opportunities and brighter futures.

“This course wasn’t just about skills—it was about giving people the confidence to step into the industry with purpose and ambition.” – Alasdair Hill, Social Impact Manager, Robertson