Kind-hearted contractors voluntarily renovated the garden of a children’s hub in Tipton, thanks to a social value arrangement with Sandwell Council and our contracting partner GRAHAM.
Several contractors gave their time and skills ‘in kind’ to help improve the outside space at Tipton Children’s Centre on Ridgeway Road.
Tipton Children’s Centre (also known as Tipton Sure Start) is located on a shared site with Glebefields Library. A panel – including representatives from Urban Design and Building Services (UDBS) and GRAHAM – chose it as the organisation to receive small-value improvements as part of a social value commitment to Sandwell from the Constructing West Midlands framework.
The garden area is important to the families who access support from Tipton Children’s Centre, providing a safe outdoor space for children to play. Now it is better than ever thanks to GRAHAM and partnering subcontractors:
CP Nevin: took down an old lean-to (which involved stripping out windows, a polycarbonate roof, all timber framework and doors) and cleared it away to give Tipton Children’s Centre more external space
Liam Lloyd Construction: removed and replaced all broken slabs and re-laid any uneven slabs to make the surface safer for playing on
BAT Holdings: added new 1.2m timber close-boarded fence panels to the existing low-level fence, to give more privacy to the play area.
About social value in Sandwell
One of Sandwell Council’s seven economic priorities is ‘Social Value in Sandwell’. We recognise that when we buy goods and services, there is potential for our investment to go beyond the business transaction and bring added benefits to local people, communities and the environment. Ideally, we want to work with partners who support our commitment to social value and are happy, when they can, to do some corporate giving to worthwhile local projects.
GRAHAM is one of those partners. A spokesperson from the company said: “GRAHAM and our partnering subcontractors are always willing to ‘go the extra mile’ to support our valuable clients, like Tipton Children’s Centre. We want to express the pleasure it brings, to be a part of an initiative where young people are the driving force, and at the forefront of the client’s mind”.
GRAHAM, CP Nevin, Liam Lloyd Construction and BAT Holdings have demonstrated the power of social value in action at Tipton Children’s Centre. Everyone at UDBS would like to thank them for their generosity.
