‘Coal to colour’: a partnership transforming former mining districts into flourishing green spaces
Pemberton Green Spaces and Radius Security Ltd dig in.
What started as a pitch at our online event has blossomed into something special.
In late April, we hosted a briefing event for our partners in the North West.
We gathered local businesses, VCSFE’s and public sector representatives to celebrate successes, share tips, and look ahead to the future of social value delivery in the region.
Some community-based organisations from the region pitched their upcoming projects to other organisations in the room.
Here’s one story from a resulting match.
Pemberton Green Spaces needed volunteers to help realise their ‘From Coal to Colour’ planting project in Pemberton, Wigan.
This project aims to enhance greenery on an urban highway in a busy residential area of Wigan’s previous mining districts.
Radius Security employees rolled up their sleeves and got involved.
Here’s what Ange Colquitt from Pemberton Green Spaces had to say about the partnership:
“Businesses like Radius Security are a vital part of our volunteer effort. We’ve found MMP really helpful for getting businesses and other organisations involved. It’s a great way to bring community groups and business/other organisations together.
It was easy to put our project request on the platform (Wigan Council are great at advising too on the off chance something in a request isn’t quite right). After speaking at the North West event, it was straightforward to do the ‘match up’ on the platform with Radius, and then liaise with Darren at Radius directly for the support we were looking for.”
This collaborative effort is brightening up the neighbourhood with colour and greenery while also providing food and shelter for wildlife. As a result, the area feels more cared for, and is inspiring pride in the community.
Here’s to more partnerships planting seeds of positivity in communities across the North West and beyond.
Throughout August, we’ll be showcasing some summer-themed case studies on our Journal and LinkedIn pages. Keep an eye out for more cheery stories like this one, and let us know if you have one to share!
Are you a business looking fulfil your Social Value commitments? You can connect directly with grassroots organisations doing important work in local communities on Match My Project. Are you a community organisation looking for a direct route to private-sector support? Your project could be the next to receive crucial support and resources. Sign up via your local authority’s homepage at matchmyproject.org.
We are proud to announce that Onward Homes has renewed its partnership with Match My Project for another two years. This decision highlights their long-term commitment to delivering social value and supporting the communities they serve.
As one of the largest housing providers in the North West, Onward Homes manages over 35,000 properties across Greater Manchester, Cheshire, Merseyside, and Lancashire. Their mission extends beyond providing housing; they are dedicated to empowering residents and investing in neighbourhoods to help people lead happier, more independent lives.
A Mission Backed by Action
Onward’s collaboration with Match My Project has united businesses, suppliers, and grassroots organisations to achieve tangible results. From community gardening initiatives to skills-based volunteering, every match made on the platform contributes to Onward’s broader mission of strengthening local communities.
Here’s what that looks like in numbers:
🏢 104 businesses signed up to support local communities
🤝 102 community organisations engaged
⏱️ 1,029 volunteer hours donated
🌱 61 projects completed
🔄 53 more in the pipeline
🔧 16 suppliers actively offering support
These numbers represent real people uplifted, spaces improved, and relationships built across various sectors.
Why It Matters
By extending this partnership for another two years, Onward Homes reaffirms its commitment to the importance of long-term collaborations that foster local impact. This partnership enables Onward to:
Support grassroots organisations addressing real-world challenges
Help businesses create meaningful social value within the communities they serve
Build a stronger network of support for residents across the North West
What’s Next?
Onward Homes is committed to delivering practical, high-impact solutions, ranging from volunteering initiatives to supplier-driven contributions. Together, we are working towards a future where housing providers act as catalysts for lasting, community-led change.
We look forward to seeing what the next two years bring, and we’re proud to be part of the journey.
Looking to simplify the way your organisation delivers social value? Contracting authorities can sign up here to get started.
We’re thrilled to shine a light on Ian Williams, one of our standout suppliers on Match My Project this June. Known for their innovative approach to property services, Ian Williams delivers directly to homes and buildings across housing, education, retirement living, and commercial sectors.
Their wide-ranging expertise includes property maintenance, planned investment, redecoration programmes, passive fire protection, decarbonisation, and compliance services. Introduced to our platform via Hyde Housing, Onward Homes, and Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, the team has gone above and beyond in creating meaningful Social Value through their work.
Their impact so far speaks for itself:
25 organisations supported
26 projects completed
16 projects underway
75 hours contributed
£14,579 Value of materials & money donated
But it’s not just about the numbers—it’s about the lasting difference Ian Williams is making in people’s lives. Each project is a testament to their hands-on commitment to community wellbeing, transforming everyday spaces into places of pride, comfort, and connection. Take a look at just a few of the inspiring initiatives they’ve brought to life:
Here are just a few of the incredible initiatives they’ve supported:
Clearing and painting Moss Street alleyway in Salford East for Onward Homes.
Redecorating rooms at Kennington Park Community Centre fortheHyde Group Junior Board
Donating a coffee machine to the Latvian Community Association’s charity office in Peterborough
Sponsorship of Boxing equipment for women in Nottingham for Second Chance Learning Academy.
Community feedback reflects the genuine care and professionalism of the Ian Williams team:
“Ian Williams Ltd was great at communicating throughout the project and made a real difference to the area with the work they did. Residents around the alleyway are so pleased with the work.” – Onward Homes.
“We’d like to say a huge thanks to Ian Williams Ltd, who kindly donated the funds that have allowed these celebrations to happen. The funding they’ve provided means that 36 Hyde schemes have food and decorations to support the Jubilee celebrations. You have lifted the community spirit with your kind gesture on this special occasion. Thank you so much from the staff and residents at Hyde. – Hyde Housing – Sheltered & Supported.
“The Team at JRF are very grateful to Ian Williams Ltd for their expertise and the work they provided expanding our existing gym area, so that the space can be used by more people from the local community at one time. The work was undertaken professionally, efficiently, and completed promptly. We are very grateful for their generosity in carrying out this work.” – Jason Roberts Foundation.
“The residents of Hyde’s sheltered schemes, Hardwick Court, Miller Court, and Baltimore Place, would like to say a huge thank you to Ian Williams for funding our annual coach trip to Southend-on-Sea.” – Hyde Housing – Sheltered & Supported.
Every hour volunteered and every project completed helps build resilient and inclusive communities. Ian Williams Ltd goes beyond contractual obligations, delivering services with purpose and a deep understanding of local needs.
We’re proud to count them among the suppliers active on the Match My Project platform and look forward to the continued positive impact they will bring in partnership with public sector organisations across the UK.
If you’re not yet a member of our network, we invite you to join!
Simply visit our homepage, select one of the authorities you partner with, and complete the signup process. Or if you are a contracting authority, you can sign up here.
The Match My Project team is so pleased to be working with Peabody, one of the oldest, and largest, housing associations in the UK.
It was founded in 1862 by the American banker and philanthropist George Peabody. The first Peabody dwellings were in Spitalfields, on the edge of the City and not too far from where the Match My Project is based.
By using Match My Project, Peabody is continuing its long history of working with communities to tackle social and economic inequality.
Indeed, Peabody continues to innovate – for example with its 189-home project at Deptford Landings, one of the biggest single-phase Passivhaus projects in the UK.
Peabody is also leading the regeneration of south east London, with its enormous programmes in Thamesmead, Abbey Wood and Plumstead, with significant investment from the Greater London Authority.
We had a great launch – thanks goes to Corin Menuge and team. And thanks to Stephen Burns, Peabody’s Executive Director for Care, Supported Housing and Inclusion.
And also a great turnout with lots of Peabody community partners and suppliers in the room.
The in-person launches are always great, as it gives the Match My Project team a chance to get out in front on local stakeholders. One of the things we’re most proud of is the approach-ability and responsiveness of our team. It was an opportunity for everyone to put Match My Project names to faces.
So, if you want to get speak to someone about getting involved with Peabody’s Match My Project platform, here’s how:
– Get in touch with the Match My Project team here
We had a great launch in Cambridge in the middle of May.
Many thanks to the council team for organising the event. It was a well attended online event with many council suppliers and community partners on the call.
There is so much going on across Cambridgeshire at the moment.
Consider the £1 million in funding for Greater Cambridge Impact, approved late last year by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority.
And there are a number of strategic partnerships in place to deliver locally-led growth, investment and regeneration. Perhaps the most important being with Homes England’s new Strategic Place Partnership.
It is vital that local communities – and particularly those in need – see the benefit of this inward investment. This is why we are so pleased to see Match My Project introduced to Cambridgeshire.
People do talk about Match My Project as being an innovative Social Value delivery platform.
Perhaps it’s because we work with the platform everyday – but we think it’s just plain common sense.
In many of the places we work we see a community sector plugged into the challenges facing local people.
These organisations know what people are going through in a way that, often, the public and private sector cannot.
They know the history and they know the politics. They are often right at the heart of local networks.
If then, as an authority, you are asking your supply chain to create local community benefits, it seems obvious to build on existing social, community or civic infrastructure that your local community sector has created over decades.
Match My Project makes that match between private and community sector as easy and as effective – as efficient and as targeted – as possible. We make private and community sector collaboration easy and then let the public sector, as the contracting authority, scale that collaboration to maximise Social Value delivery and impact.
And as simple as that sounds, the Match My Project team has invested a lot of time and effort into making it easy.
And it is why the launch events are so important – to share good practice and top tips so we see as many projects delivered as possible.
This month marks a significant milestone as we celebrate two years of Sovereign Network Group (SNG) — a journey defined by purpose, progress, and partnership. In just 24 months, SNG has continued to build on its commitment to providing good, affordable homes, creating the foundations for better lives and stronger communities.
By the Numbers – A Snapshot of Impact
In two years, Sovereign Network Group has achieved impressive outcomes that reflect the power of collaboration and community-driven action:
🏢 54 businesses have signed up to support SNG’s mission
🤝 134 community-based organisations have joined the network
⏱️ 131 volunteer hours donated
🌱 52 projects supported to date
Each number tells a story of people coming together to create meaningful change across neighbourhoods and regions.
A Vision for Thriving Communities
SNG’s vision is to create thriving communities over generations, guided by five key goals:
1. Financial and Digital Inclusion
SNG provides proactive and critical support to customers facing financial hardship. From building financial resilience to supporting digital connectivity, they ensure the communities aren’t left behind in a rapidly evolving world.
2. Community Action
Through close collaboration with anchor organisations, local groups, and their customers, SNG co-creates social action programmes with long-term impact. Their focus areas include youth initiatives, ageing well, health and wellbeing, environmental sustainability, and social inclusion. Together, they harness community power and amplify customer voices.
3. Partnerships and Fundraising
SNG’s partnership approach is strategic and inclusive. By bringing in external funding, we enhance and expand our community investment offer, helping local organisations grow their capacity and deliver more impactful services. Everything SNG does, from grant-making to collaborative frameworks, is rooted in driving measurable social value.
Reflecting on the last two years, we are inspired by the dedication, creativity, and compassion fueling the Sovereign Network Group. From affordable homes to meaningful partnerships, they remain committed to helping individuals and communities not just survive, but truly thrive.
Here’s to the future — building stronger, fairer, and more connected communities. 🏡💛
In March, we headed to Cambridge for Cambridge City Council’s Match My Project launch.
We loved hearing about some of the projects delivered during the council’s pilot phase of our platform.
From design skills to donations of digital devices, there’s already a great range of resources being delivered to local Cambridge communities through Match My Project, and we look forward to seeing more projects being completed as the platform gains traction.
Here are three case studies shared at Cambridge City Council’s Match My Project launch:
Induction hobs for cookery classes for vulnerable community members: Cambridge Sustainable Food CIC x Macbrook Gas
Cambridge Sustainable Food CIC needed 8 induction hobs for cookery classes for vulnerable community members.
They put their project on Match My Project and matched with Macbrook Gas Ltd. Within days, they had 8 new induction hobs.
Cambridge Sustainable Food and Macbrook Gas have since collaborated on a second project, to install a commercial freezer in Cambridge Sustainable Food’s distribution centre.
John, Director at Macbrook Gas, said this about his experience:
“Match My Project – really, really good to work with. Really good to deliver. Really good things to come.”
Impact Report Design: Kier Construction x Jimmy’s Cambridge
Jimmy’s Cambridge, a charity supporting people experiencing homelessness, needed their impact report designed. They posted their request on Match My Project and Kier Construction offered to complete their project.
The charity, celebrating 30 years of support, soon had a professional report to showcase their work … without spending a penny.
Cat from Jimmy’s nailed why this matters:
“The value in this is not just the design value, it’s the fact that we can give these out and email these over as a PDF to our supporters … it’s huge for us. It was money that we didn’t have to spend and it will help our stakeholders feel valued and also want to continue supporting us.”
Laptops for Students in Cambridge: Connected Kerb x Cambridge Online
Cambridge Online which works to reduce digital exclusion by refurbishing and redistributing unwanted digital devices.
Connected Kerb donated 4 laptops to Cambridge Online for students in need via Match My Project.
Marcus Whewell, CEO of Cambridge Online shares his thoughts on the match:
“The simple truth is that Cambridge Online and Connected Kerb would never have found each other without this initiative.
Our orbits are so different; we’d never have come in touch.
And in four weeks, we’ve delivered something of value back to the community. So I’d encourage everybody here: please take the time to visit the site; take a small leap of faith, because in a very simple way, you will help change someone’s life”.
Are you a business looking fulfil your Social Value commitments? You can connect directly with grassroots organisations doing important work in local communities on Match My Project. Are you a community organisation looking for a direct route to private-sector support? Your project could be the next to receive crucial support and resources. Sign up via your local authority’s homepage at matchmyproject.org.
Something special is growing in the concrete heart of London.
In Islington, one of England’s most densely populated boroughs, access to nature isn’t always a given.
In fact, 71% of residents lack access to a private garden.
But a local charity, The Garden Classroom (TGC) is fighting back at this stat.
The Garden Classroom connects urban communities with nature to foster wellbeing and inspire environmental stewardship. Their outdoor learning experiences benefit thousands of people annually.
Natural Partnerships
The Garden Classroom signed up to Match My Project in December 2024, after exploring ways to demonstrate the social value they generate in their local community and to seek much-needed funding for their nature connection programmes.
They are now registered on three local authority’s Match My Project sites: Hyde Housing Association, Hackney Giving, and Sanctuary.
The Garden Classroom matched with Just Ask Estate Services Ltd. through Match My Project to receive support for their Urban Forest School (UFS) programme.
Growing green minds
Urban Forest School provides nature-immersive education to 1,000 children in Islington and Hackney each year, prioritising schools with high numbers of disadvantaged pupils, and ensuring children from all backgrounds can experience the benefits of nature.
Urban Forest School adapts the traditional Forest School model to an urban setting, offering regular two-hour outdoor sessions that promote resilience, teamwork, and self-confidence. Children engage in hands-on learning experiences that enhance their problem-solving skills, collaboration, and emotional regulation—supporting their overall education and wellbeing.
Through Match My Project, Just Ask Estate Services Ltd. offered funding that will allow The Garden Classroom to cover the costs of a facilitator for Urban Forest School sessions. Their support will also enable the purchase of branded waterproof jackets, whittling knives, Japanese pull saws for woodwork activities, children’s binoculars for wildlife identification, fire kits, cups and flasks, slack lines, and gymnastics rings.
Hannah Hogarth, The Garden Classroom’s Urban Forest School Manager had this to say,
“Thanks to Hyde Housing Association, Just Ask Estate Services and the MMP platform, we were delighted to receive support for our UFS programme. We’ll be able to purchase much needed equipment and fund our expert facilitators who make every session engaging, fun and safe! The MMP platform has given us great exposure to companies that are looking to support charities like ours who deliver real social value in local communities – thank you!”
With green spaces becoming increasingly precious, partnerships like the one between The Garden Classroom and Just Ask demonstrate how business resources, when well directed, can contribute to healthier and more environmentally aware communities.
Join the movement
Are you a business looking fulfil your Social Value commitments? You can connect directly with grassroots organisations doing important work in local communities on Match My Project.
Are you a community organisation looking for a direct route to private-sector support? Your project could be the next to receive crucial support and resources.
Over two billion tonnes of household waste is generated every year across the globe.
This figure excludes other types of waste like agricultural, construction, commercial, and healthcare waste, for which data is severely lacking.
If packed into shipping containers and placed end-to-end, this waste would wrap around the equator 25 times.*
Local responses to a global crisis
While the climate crisis is a global crisis, its effects are deeply local.
Local, often under-resourced, communities are among the most vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, but also among the most innovative in creating solutions.
They can achieve what large-scale national and international programs often cannot: implement solutions that align with both community needs and ecological imperatives.
Take Adur Repair Café Lancing as an example. This space, where people can learn how to fix things in community, tackles not only the global waste problem but also the local impacts of the cost of living crisis and the loneliness epidemic.
We spoke to five community organisations on Match My Project that are championing a circular economy and building more resilient communities. Find out more about their localised responses to the waste crisis, and how you can get involved, below.
Adur Voluntary Action
Adur Voluntary Action, a community organisation on Hyde Housing Association’s Match My Project site, started Adur Repair Café Lancing at the end of 2024 with a small grant from Lancing Parish Council.
They have nine volunteers who can fix a variety of household items – including clothing repairs – and other volunteers who make tea, bring cakes and sign people into sessions.
Each session at Adur Repair Café Lancing sees approximately 10 items, of which about 60-70% are repaired.
Repair Cafes help to keep items out of landfills; save people the cost of purchasing new items; afford opportunities for people to share their skills and learn new ones; and bring neighbours together; creating a more connected community.
Through Match My Project, Adur Voluntary Action matched with Philip Pank Partnership LLP who funded a sewing machine for the repair café.
Saffi Price, CEO of Adur Voluntary Action, has these top tips for championing the circular economy in daily life:
Buy less – prioritise quality over quantity to keep items working for longer
Repair – fix broken items (find your local Repair Cafe if you are not sure how)
Embrace pre-loved items and donate your unwanted items rather than throwing them away (hint: there is no ‘away’)
Reduce single-use items
Share tools rather than buying your own (look out for a local Library of Things or Share Shed)
Take reusable cups out with you.
Community Tech Aid
Community TechAid is a community organisation on three Match My Project sites: Hyde Housing Association, Sovereign Network Group, and A2Dominion.
They are on a mission to end digital poverty by ensuring everyone has access to the technology they need to thrive.
They do this through a circular economy approach, collecting unwanted devices, repairing and refurbishing them, and redistributing them to people facing digital exclusion. Rather than letting technology go to waste, they give it a second life; reducing e-waste while empowering individuals with the tools they need to connect, learn, and grow.
Currently, they are focused on raising funds for spare parts, allowing them to fully refurbish donated devices. They always require replacement batteries, chargers, and keyboards for the donated devices they receive. Without these repairs, the devices remain unusable and mean they will have to be recycled rather than reused.
Stephanie Charbine, Partnerships & Engagement Manager at Community Tech Aid shares this pointer for promoting a circular economy in daily life:
Before discarding a device think about whether it can be repaired, repurposed, or donated. Small actions like repairing a laptop instead of replacing it or donating old tech instead of throwing it away, help reduce waste and keep valuable resources in circulation for longer.
Businesses, want to get involved?
Community TechAid are looking for USB-C chargers to refurbish donated laptops. Find their project on Sovereign Network Group’s Match My Project Directory of Community Projects, with the title ‘50 USB-C Chargers to Tackle Digital Poverty’.
Mama2Mama Baby Essentials
Mama2Mama Baby Essentials is a community organisation on Hyde Housing Association’s Match My Project site.
This Greenwich-based organisation’s mission is simple yet profound: to support families in need with dignity, compassion, and community-focused solutions.
They provide essential services to over 200 families each month through a café and a baby bank, and have created a vibrant hub for support, connection, and opportunity.
Through their baby bank, essential items like formula, nappies, and clothing are provided to those in need. To ensure dignity and accessibility for all families, they offer discreet delivery systems, including plain brown bag collections and home deliveries for those unable to visit.
By redistributing thousands of items, they reduce waste while addressing material poverty. This sustainable approach benefits families and the environment alike.
Zuzana Fratrikova, Mama2Mama Baby Essentials’ CEO, has this advice for embracing the circular economy:
I would always encourage the public not to think of the circular economy only during Christmas when they need to declutter or as a once-a-year activity. The best tip I can give is to tidy, clean, or sort through your home regularly ideally with the seasons, four times a year. This habit helps you stay mindful of what you no longer need and where it can be donated. Map out local charities in your area so you know which ones accept furniture, children’s clothes, or other specific items. This way, every time you declutter, you already know where your donations can make the most impact. Additionally, try to avoid buying new – whenever possible support small charity shops, especially when purchasing clothing for children.
Wondering how you can get involved?
Mama2Mama Baby Essentials has 5 upcoming projects on Hyde Housing Association’s Match My Project site, including ‘Shelving for additional storage for Babybank supplies’ and ‘Sponsorship of refurbishment for charity cafe in Woolwich’.
PCrefurb
PCrefurb is a charity on Onward Homes’ Match My Project site.
PCrefurb aims to bridge the digital divide. They refurbish donated IT equipment and redistribute them to those most in need. They also connect people to training and education, and support their well-being. They provide digital skills training in the community and engage volunteers, some of whom face complex challenges, in all areas of their work.
Helen Melhuish, Chief Officer of PCrefurb, offers this tip for incorporating the circular economy into your daily life:
Seek out and support the repair/refurbish/redistribute organisations – give things as long a life as possible either to continue using yourself, or to gift to those who would still find them useful. So much electronic waste in particular is completely unnecessary and many devices can have a much longer lifespan that some people realise.
Looking to get involved?
PCrefurb is always looking for donations of IT equipment, particularly laptops.
Find their project, ‘PCrefurb’, in Onward’s Match My Project Directory of Community Projects. You could help local people access the online world and all that it offers – employment opportunities, training, household management, health and well-being support and more.
Sustainable Wantage
Sustainable Wantage is a Community Action Group that brings people together across Wantage and Grove to share resources and make practical and sustainable choices. They are registered on Sovereign Network Group’s Match My Project site.
At The Mix Community Space, their hub, they have a Community Fridge, a Library of Things, a Refill station where people can buy detergents and toiletries, and a monthly Repair Cafe.
If you’re looking to lessen your impact on the planet, here’s what Jo Harvey, Sustainability Coordinator at Sustainable Wantage, asks herself when she needs something new:
Can I borrow it? If it’s something that’s broken can it be repaired? Can I buy it secondhand? Is it something I can share? 9 times out of 10 we find everything we need already exists somewhere!
How can you support Sustainable Wantage’s work?
They currently have 3 projects awaiting support on Sovereign’s Match My Project site, including requests for garden tools for their Library of Things and £75 for soil-improving mulch for their polytunnels and raised beds.
Join the movement
These five organisations show how local initiatives can address global challenges in ways that are responsive, practical, and deeply connected to community needs.
These are not one-dimensional responses.
While reducing waste and promoting a circular economy, they’re also addressing digital exclusion, social isolation, and the cost of living crisis—creating more resilient communities in the process.
If you’re a business looking to make a difference, Match My Project offers a direct route to supporting impactful community initiatives like these. Browse the directory of community projects to find organisations aligned with your values and contribute to their specific needs—whether that’s equipment, funding, or your expertise.
For community organisations championing the circular economy or other local solutions – posting your projects on Match My Project could connect you with the resources you need to expand your impact.
Sign up via your local authority’s homepage at matchmyproject.org.
References:
*United Nations Environment Programme (2024). Global Waste Management Outlook 2024: Beyond an age of waste – Turning rubbish into a resource. Nairobi. https://wedocs.unep.org/20.500.11822/44939
