Match My Project Case Studies, Summer Edition

In communities across the UK, remarkable stories of collaboration and positive change are unfolding.

At Match My Project, we’re privileged to witness firsthand how local initiatives can spark transformation and bring people together. As summer draws to a close, we want to shine a spotlight on some inspiring projects that exemplify the power of community action.

From vibrant carnivals to neighborhood clean-ups, these case studies showcase the diverse ways in which local organisations and businesses are joining forces to create meaningful impact. Each story demonstrates how Match My Project serves as a catalyst, connecting resources with needs and turning visions into reality.

Lets celebrate these local heroes and reflect on how we can all be better neighbours.

Summer Sports Day – Good Neighbours and Purdy Contracts

Good Neighbours comprises a group of neighbours from the Coldbath and Orchard estate (Greenwich) and surrounding areas.

The idea began with Anne Duncan, who has lived on the estate for 30 years. After lockdown, she noticed that there were no children playing and engaging with others around the estate. She wondered where they had gone, and decided to put on an event for them.

She quickly realised that they were very much still around, but that there was just nothing for them to come and socialise for. From there Good Neighbours was born – with a mission to bring back the community spirit. They aim to improve mental wellness and community cohesion by running inclusive social events for children and young people that restore pride in the community.

Jay Duncan from Good Neighbours said that since the birth of Good Neighbours, the support they have received has been ‘amazing’. They have been overwhelmed by the support from the local community, their local councillor Pat Slattery, local businesses and Match My Project. They can already see the changes in the community and Anne is in the process of becoming a Greenwich housing champion!

Jay also said that Match My Project has been of tremendous support to the growth of the Good Neighbours events. They said that the support the organisation has received has contributed to over 300 attendees thus far, and without Match My Project it would be nearly impossible to have achieved the growth that they have. Receiving support with areas such as toilet facilities and volunteers is of huge importance to the organisation, and would otherwise be at a large cost to Good Neighbours.

Jay said “For me MMP is like a blessing sent from heaven and we are very grateful for the support we get to help build and grow our community.”

This summer, Good Neighbours hosted a community summer event. They matched with Purdy Contracts, a well-established mechanical, electrical, building services and renewable energy contractor, to deliver this project.

Purdy contributed 35 volunteering hours to assist at the event.

This is what Purdy had to say about the day:

“Good Neighbours are amazing and we were honoured to volunteer at their summer event. It was fantastic to see children and their families fully enjoying the bouncy castle, swimming pools, face painting and many more activities. They even provided free ice creams for the children which was a special treat and thoroughly enjoyed. We all had smiles on our faces and enjoyed every minute of the day and would love to return for their Halloween and Christmas events.”

Clapham Park Funday Carnival – MTVH South London and PiLON

At the heart of every thriving community lies collaboration and creativity. This was beautifully exemplified at the recent Clapham Park fun day. Match My Project played a key role in bringing together local talent, businesses, and residents to create an unforgettable celebration of community spirit.

The event was a kaleidoscope of activities, from face painting and arts and crafts to the mesmerising ‘Tree of Life’ character by Mandinga Arts. Local artisans showcased their skills, offering handcrafted goods that reflected the rich diversity of the neighbourhood. But what truly set this day apart was the vibrant carnival procession, made possible through the innovative use of Match My Project.

MTVH used Match My Project to secure funding from PiLON, a refurbishment and maintenance contractor. This collaboration enabled a resident to host costume-making workshops in the lead-up to the fun day. Working alongside three youth providers and Autism Voice, the project expanded to include more young people, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Over 30 young participants designed and created costumes, props, and stilts, learning valuable skills in sewing, building, and teamwork along the way. The generous funding provided by PiLON through Match My Project covered essential materials and volunteer expenses, ensuring that creativity could flourish without financial constraints.

As the carnival procession made its way through the fun day, it became clear that Match My Project had facilitated more than just a colorful display. It had fostered a sense of pride, accomplishment, and community cohesion.

Even the Mayor was amazed by the talent and sheer scale of the event, commenting that it was “one of the best fun days [he’d] ever attended.”

An MTVH representative echoed this sentiment:

“The sun shone, the children were smiling and the community really enjoyed themselves. The dance group were incredible and your support meant that young people were able to dazzle the community with colourful, vibrant costumes and props!”

Safer Streets: The Nightingales Community Clear-up Day – SNG Projects and Service Master

The SNG Projects Team recently used Match My Project to facilitate a community clear-up day with the aim of both cleaning up the local area and fostering a stronger sense of community cohesion.

The day involved the Greenham Community Centre and Berkshire Youth, who delivered activities for children and hosted several local community partners to showcase what they do in their communities. The Police and Fire Service also attended to engage with the public and provide advice.

For the clear-up activities, the local authority, SNG, volunteers, children and a local green group all worked together to pick up litter across the estate. These organisations were also joined by SNG supplier, Service Master, a cleaning contractor, who made vehicles available to help collect and dispose of heavier unwanted items such as white goods and furniture.

Overall, the day was a success with the benefit clear to see both from a clear-up perspective and a community engagement perspective, and everyone involved enjoyed some pizza, hot and cold drinks and fruit.

SNG Community Investment and Partnership Lead Darryl MacAndrew stated:

“This was the second of three community clear-up events on this estate. It was great to have nicer weather this time but ultimately it was another successful event with the community coming together to help assist with the clear-up, engage with the community centre and community partners or both. Although this is a small cog in a big machine in regard to the community investment being channelled into this estate – it is a vital cog in that it gives the community the chance to make positive changes where they live and feel proud where they live”.

Multiplying Impact

These stories demonstrate how small acts can lead to big impact. At Match My Project, we are proud to play a role in connecting local organisations with the resources and support they need to uplift their communities.

Whether you are a business looking to maximise your community impact or a grassroots organisation seeking to expand your reach, Match My Project is here to help. Read our top five tips for suppliers here or our top five tips for community organisations here!

We would love to hear from you – get in touch with us at hello@matchmyproject.org.

Partnership

Deliver the Best Social Value in Your Communities with Match My Project.

How can you make a bigger impact?

What if you could boost your business by transforming your social engagement?

Match My Project is here to help you take your Social Value delivery to the next level.

We believe in the power of Social Value to transform lives and communities. That’s why we build technology that enables organisations to do just that. And we’re always thinking about ways to make that impact as meaningful and as far-reaching as possible.

Over the past few months, Laura from the Match My Project team has spoken to Social Value experts across the UK about their remarkable work. She asked them how businesses can be more responsible and make a bigger impact in local communities.

This is what she found out.

Here are the top 5 things suppliers can do to deliver better Social Value:

Offer longer, incentivised work placements

I’d like to see more longer periods of work experience, but incentivised … we need to invest in these young people and show that we’re investing in them by incentivising them.
– Phillipa Wilkinson, Post-16 Lead at the Stockport Virtual School

Show that you are invested in the future of young people and their development. Longer placements give participants more time to learn, grow, and contribute meaningfully to your organisation.

Incentives could include paid positions, performance bonuses, or opportunities for permanent employment upon successful completion. This shows a genuine investment in developing talent and can lead to a more diverse and skilled workforce.

Take advantage of Pathways to Work

This Match My Project feature is designed to streamline the process of connecting job opportunities with local communities. Utilise it to post apprenticeships, entry-level positions, and training programs. The platform can help target specific demographics or areas, ensuring your Social Value efforts reach those who need them most.

I would like to see more willingness from our contractors and suppliers to think creatively about ensuring employment and training opportunities that they committed to within their Social Value tenders or pledges. And ensure that these are followed through and delivered in areas where [the contracting authorities] have customers and communities … More could definitely be done to use the platform, especially the new features that Match My Project has launched, and link these opportunities to our customers.
Emma Needham, Social Investment Specialist at Onward Homes

Learn more about Pathways to Work here.

Create early opportunities for work placement candidates to familiarise themselves with the work environment before starting.

Starting a new job is scary. Especially when it’s your first time in a professional work setting.

Laura Perry from Ridge and Partners, a built environment agency with eleven locations across the UK, offers a brilliant solution to this obstacle: allow placement candidates to come into the office before they start working there. This allows them to familiarise themselves with the space, the people who work there, and the journey they will take to work.

In Laura’s words:

I recommend meeting with the placement student beforehand. That helps to make them feel more relaxed and I think it can make the organisation feel a bit more relaxed as well. You both know each other, you both know what to expect. [I recommend] visits to the workplace before starting so that they can journey to and from because it can be quite overwhelming if they are not used to travelling to a city centre in rush hour. And it helps the other teams be aware as well of someone else who might be coming in if they want to speak to them, or perhaps they are interested in a certain discipline.

Ridge and Partners recently matched with the Stockport Care Leavers Team to facilitate a successful work placement for a care-experienced individual. Read the inspiring story here.

Consider the whole supply chain.

Try to think about the whole end-to-end process.
Amy Holbrook, Bid and Responsible Business Manager at PH Jones (British Gas).

Transforming your supply chain for Social Value creation might involve:

Partnering with social enterprises or B-corps for supplies and services
Supporting local businesses in your procurement processes
Encouraging your suppliers to adopt their own Social Value initiatives

Amy Holbrook from PH Jones explained the broader social impact that transformations to the supply chain can have. She told me about a project PH Jones completed to illustrate this.

PH Jones worked with building merchant chain Jewson to paint the L6 Centre, a charity they connected with through Match My Project. The paint used for the project was from Paint360, a social enterprise that re-engineers waste paint back into brand-new paint and employs ex-offenders. Not only was the L6 centre repainted, but, through this project, PH Jones was able to champion a socially and environmentally sustainable cause.

This approach demonstrates how considering the entire supply chain can multiply the Social Value impact of a single project.

Commit to the long run. Transform from within.

True Social Value isn’t about one-off gestures or short-term projects.

It’s about embedding a commitment to social responsibility deep within the fabric of your organisation. This approach requires a fundamental shift in how businesses view their role in society, moving from occasional charitable acts to a consistent, integrated approach that aligns social impact with business objectives.

What does this look like practically? Here are some ideas:

Include Social Value objectives in your company’s strategic plan
Provide training on Social Value to all employees
Celebrate and reward Social Value achievements internally

Take it from two businesses that exemplify an authentic, embodied form of Social Value:

Don’t keep flashing money around for Social Value. That’s probably one of my biggest frustrations. It’s not about all the financial money. Yes, it’s nice to give a token gift of money. But it’s not – it’s the longevity, it’s the hours. Really buying into what you’re doing. You know, be emotionally invested in Social Value, because the impact it does have is massive.
Andrea Ratcliffe, Business Development & Bid Manager at Connolly Ltd

You can’t do Social Value if it’s not embodied in your business … You’ve got to start at the heart of it, which is your business and your people.
Laura Perry, Social Value Project Consultant at Ridge and Partners

By integrating Social Value into your core business practices, you can create a meaningful impact in your communities while also benefiting your organisation through improved reputation, employee engagement, and stakeholder relationships.

Social Value isn’t just about what you do—it’s about who you are as an organisation.

The experts we’ve heard from throughout this blog have demonstrated that true Social Value is embedded in every aspect of business operations. It requires a holistic approach that encompasses everything from work placements and supply chain considerations to long-term organisational transformation.

But don’t just take our word for it. Take a deeper dive into these insights and hear directly from the Social Value experts themselves.

Watch this exclusive video to gain valuable insights, practical tips, and inspiration to take your Social Value delivery to new heights.

Are you making the most of Match My Project? Find out from Match My Project’s most prolific community beneficiary how to maximise the resources available on the platform.

I spoke to Rachel, the Assistant Head of Henry Fawcett Primary School, the most active community organisation on Match My Project. The school has an impressive history of using our platform to channel the best resources and opportunities into the local community. This has earned them a reputation for excellence in the community.

Our mission at Match My Project is to help communities flourish. We do this by matching community organisations with businesses that want to deliver Social Value and CSR.

Rachel said, “The support that we’ve had via [Hyde Housing Association] from Match My Project compared to the support we get from other organisations … it’s not even comparable”.

Rachel provided some invaluable tips and principles which could help you enhance your impact within the community you serve.

Here are the top 5 tips for Community-Based Organisations on Match My Project:

Build strong relationships
Have a look around
Frame asks clearly
Go the extra mile
Go for it!

1. Build strong relationships

Match My Project exists for people and communities.

That’s the heart of what we do.

It’s all about relationships – so naturally, having strong ones will set you up well to create flourishing communities through the platform.

Rachel identifies two key ways to achieve this:

a. Keep in touch with the authority

“If there are things I put on there and I start getting a bit panicky that I might not get them, I would contact the Social Value person at Hyde and just say … ‘is there anyone you can poke to help us with this?’.”

The authority could be a bridge between you and a new community partnership – they may be able to put your project in front of the right people. Reaching out to them could help you get the resources you need for your community.

b. Understand the businesses on the platform

Rachel puts her success on Match My Project down to her savviness when it comes to understanding the different focuses and preferences of the business users on the platform. She says: “I’ve understood what sort of things they might be looking for.”

She goes on to explain that, when creating new projects, community-based organisations should consider: “What kind of organisations might want to do them? And framing them in a way that is going to be appealing to them.”

While this may require some initial effort, it’s worth the fruitful relationships that could follow:

“I generally end up getting more than I ask for … once you’re engaged with the supplier and they come and have a look and they’ve come to move the furniture but then they go ‘oh but now you need some carpets in here don’t you? We’ll do that’.”

Taking some time to get your head around the outcomes that suppliers are looking for can go a long way in receiving the right support for your projects.

Remember that suppliers will be looking for projects that contribute to the shared goals or outcomes selected by the authority, for example, “safeguarding the environment” or “promoting jobs and skills” – you will see these outcomes listed when creating a new project.

2. Have a Look Around

In the same spirit of working towards shared goals, Rachel also suggests having a look at other organisations’ projects on Match My Project.

She says, “It’s worth having a little bit of a look around to see what other people are doing and who’s being successful.”

I asked Rachel about the type of resources Henry Fawcett Primary has requested on Match My Project and was impressed by the broad range of projects they have completed. These vary from physical things like chairs to volunteers and funding. She notes that their Breakfast Club is subsidised by suppliers on Match My Project, as is a member of staff (a 1-1 mentor for the children), therapeutic residentials, and a boxing club.

To view other organisations’ projects, log in to your account and navigate to the “Directory” on the left-hand side tab. Here you can see community projects, supplier offers, jobs & training opportunities, as well as a list of all organisations under the “organisations” tab.

3. Frame Asks Clearly

“That’s the important thing: being clear.”

Rachel stresses the importance of framing resource requests clearly.

There are three main elements to this.

a. Be specific

“Try and think about framing the narrative in your request. What you put as your heading – that’s the one-line thing that comes up – is really important … if you can make the title show the benefit and paint a nice narrative, I think that’s helpful. And be specific in what you’re asking for.”

b. Prioritise projects

“You’re always playing a game of prioritising what you put on there and not putting too many things up at the same time. And being clear about which ones are really important to you and which ones are nice to have.”

“I try and keep the requests middling and then find that people are very helpful after the fact.”

c. Separate requests

“There is also an art to … separating things out in the requests. So, rather than saying ‘I need my library redone’ [say], ‘I need the walls painting’; ‘I need the furniture moving’; ‘I need somebody to pay for books.’ Because there might be different organisations that are able to help with those things separately.”

The wording you use in your project request is crucial to the success of the project. Remember to be specific in the title, be clear about your priorities, and try to separate larger projects into smaller, more workable ones.

4. Go the extra mile

Providing as much information as possible, and consistently engaging with community partners, makes a big difference to the impact of projects on Match My Project.

What could you do to get the attention your projects need?

Here are some ideas that have worked for Rachel in the past:

“We always try and contact the supplier directly, send photos of what’s going on, say ‘would you like to come visit the project?’ … I don’t have to do these things, but I chose to.”

Little actions like contacting suppliers directly and sending them photographs can have a huge ripple effect. Fortune favours the bold!

5. Go for It!

As the old adage goes … if you don’t ask, you don’t get. Rachel puts it this way: “Ask, because you just don’t know. Somebody might give it to you.”

Or, you’ve got nothing to lose.

In Rachel’s words: “Realistically, I could spend 15 minutes writing a Match My Project request and get £4000.”

Insights on Impact

At Match My Project we are dedicated to getting the best resources and opportunities into the communities that need them most. We are so inspired by community users like Rachel who are using Match My Project to make a real difference in the local community. Listen to our full conversation with Rachel here – you’ll come away with plenty of insight.

You can also watch some highlights of the conversation here:

Do you have any tips or pieces of advice for other community users? Please get in touch – we’d love to hear from you about how to make the biggest impact in communities.

What is the relationship between social responsibility, the tech industry and product development?

I recently posed this question to Ruth, the Product Lead at Match My Project.

Her answer got me thinking.

This is what she said:

“Technology – we’ve seen through social media – can be quite divisive at times and it can demand a lot of our time and attention, but we want to do things the human way. We want our platforms to be tools that bring people together, bring communities together, and help positive change to happen in the world.”

We want to do things the human way

We want to do things the human way.

This is in the context of a world where things can seem less and less human every day. As Ruth so astutely pointed out, technology can be divisive and demands much of our time and attention. Technology is all-pervasive, and it’s changing how we relate to the world and one another. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed and disconnected from the very essence of what makes us human – our communities and personal connections.

At Match My Project, we have made it our mission to bring communities closer together. Our platform harnesses the power of the digital world while staying grounded in the fundamental need for human interaction, empathy, and collaboration.

We’re not about creating online communities for their own sake or as a way to harvest data and market to people. We’re creating connections to get more jobs, training and resources into our communities.

A Platform that Makes a Real Difference in Communities

Onward Homes and Novus Property Solutions recently used Match My Project to collaborate on an inspiring initiative to create a local work opportunity in the Kirkdale community of Liverpool.
Working closely with Everton in the Community (EITC), one of the UK’s top sporting charities, eight local candidates were identified and interviewed by Onward and Novus.

Ryan, who lives locally and who was out of work at the time, was appointed to a permanent job position with Novus that included all training needed. Ryan will be working on various elements of Novus’ retrofit scheme with Onward to deliver energy efficiency improvements to 400 homes in Liverpool, making them warmer, quieter and more comfortable for the people who live in them.

A representative from Novus emphasised the organisation’s commitment to creating good Social Value employment opportunities. They said:

“At the end of September 2023, the number of unemployed people aged 16 and over in the Liverpool area was a staggering 14,600 – a rate of 5.7%. Novus are committed to reducing that statistic where possible by offering local persons the opportunity to join our contract with new client Onward Homes … Local employment and helping people return to work after a period of unemployment is one of our main priorities within all our contracts. We wish Ryan all the success within his new role.”

Ryan’s successful appointment to a role at Novus is a shining example of the tangible difference that Match My Project is making in local communities.

This is what an Onward spokesperson had to say:

“The Retrofit programme is a great initiative to work in partnership to promote opportunities in the Kirkdale area. Using Match My Project has enabled us to promote these opportunities and give the best social value return in our local areas.”

Onward Homes and Novus Property Solutions were both rated 5 stars on Match My Project for the accuracy, communication and timeliness of their involvement in the project.

At Match My Project, we are proud of success stories like this one. We are championing a human approach to technology, where connecting communities is at the heart of our work.

We believe in technology as a force for good. Our new Pathways to Work feature is enabling businesses and community-based organisations to work together to create high-quality employment opportunities in local areas.

Our Product Development team is working hard behind the scenes to make our platform even more innovative and efficient for the people who use it. Watch this video to find out more about the upcoming feature releases you can look out for, and to hear more about what motivates the Match My Project team.

Liz is the Head of Communities and Social Value at the Breyer Group, a leading property services provider that has been working with the public sector for over 60 years. We’ve been collaborating with Liz and her Community and Social Value Manager, Bobby Lorraine for the last couple of months and wanted to share what we’ve learnt about some of the work they’re doing. We caught up with Liz recently.

Breyer recently signed up to use Match My Project’s new features, which will help Liz and Bobby create more pathways to work for local people – and share Breyer’s good work far and wide. For a preview, have a look.

What’s a typical day like at Breyer?

Our role as the Social Value team is to support the Breyer Group through facilitating and delivering Social Value impact in line with the contract KPI’s. There is no typical day as it varies, depending on the needs of our communities and business priorities.

It can include bid writing, strategic planning, report writing, or collaboration with our contract teams and external partnerships, such as charities, local government, training organisations and SMEs.

We will also attend job fairs and community events where there are opportunities to meet and engage with residents.

What’s the community project you’re most proud of?

We worked with Allen Edwards Primary School in Lambeth to support their Eco Club. We donated both time and money to help students develop their fruit and vegetable growing areas. We gave £1,000 towards buying seeds and plants for the Primary School, which were chosen by the Eco Club students.

Then, later in the spring, a number of Breyer staff joined students and parents for a planting day.

Deputy Headteacher, Nicola Harris:

“We are so grateful to Breyer Roofing for helping transform our allotment area and for joining the Eco Club students on numerous occasions to discuss plants; help plant seeds; and to deliver and establish bigger flowers and vegetable plants. It has been an amazing learning experience for the students involved and the results will be enjoyed by all of us at the school. Thank you!”

That’s great. What’s coming up in the future? What are you really excited about?

We are very excited to be launching the Breyer Virtual Employability Academy. This will enable residents and students to access pre-employment training modules, that are usually only available to our employees online, in an environment in which they feel safe to explore construction.

Part of the programme offers access to a town hall Q&A session with Breyer professionals to hear about their career journeys and why the construction sector is a great place to have a lifelong career plan.

Each learner will receive certificates of completion and an interview to access suitable work placements, apprenticeships, and employment opportunities.

What would you change tomorrow if you had a magic wand?

One area we would change immediately would be the way Social Value is procured, measured and reported. It needs streamlining. We are a small team and the resource required to manage the multiple different approaches is confusing and unmanageable.

The key factor for us is to ensure the procurement requirements meet the demographics of the communities we are working in.

For instance, there is no sense in focusing on apprenticeships when the real need is to improve education for students, promote apprenticeships in construction and the built environment or to provide residents with clothes and food for their families because of the cost-of-living crisis.

Finally, what’s the best piece of advice anyone has given you?

Listen, collaborate and be innovative in order to find solutions that meet the needs of individuals and communities.

Thanks Liz!

If you are looking to create more successful apprenticeships in the local communities you serve, our up coming new features will be helpful – please take a look! If you want to know why we’re doing this, have a look here.

Pippa is the Social Value and Marketing Manager at Kinovo. We caught up with her recently to learn more about the work she’s doing to create social impact in the communities that Kinovo works in.
Kinovo recently signed up to use Match My Project’s new features, which will help Pippa’s team create more pathways to work for local people – and share Kinovo’s good work far and wide. For a preview, have a look here and if you want to know why we’ve introduced these new features have a look here.

Tell us a bit about your role at Kinovo – what’s a typical day like for you?

I am the Marketing and Social Value Manager at Kinovo Group, which consists of specialist property services contractors, Dunhams, Purdy and Spokemead, so there is always a variety of different jobs to complete, and no day is ever the same, which I love.

I work from home most of the time, unless I am attending an Industry Event, a Social Value project we are undertaking or meeting in person with colleagues in one of our 5 offices or out on site to work on a communications piece about a specific job being carried out.

My role is extremely broad and gets me involved not only with the ‘S’ for Social Value from ESG, but also the development and implementation of our Net Zero plan, ESG Impact report and all the Marketing activity across the whole Group, as well as supporting the Business Development Team on the Social Value elements of new bids.

Therefore, a typical day, could be anything from carrying out mock interviews with residents for a client, attending an apprentice fair, writing and posting Social Value stories, selecting and planning what social activities to do next, collating our Social Value data and presenting to our Board of Directors the amount of Social Value delivered, attending and networking at an industry events like Chartered Institute of Housing Annual Conference, just to name just a few.

**Left to Right:** Lee Venables, COO – Kinovo, Cath Nicholas, Events Manager – Chartered Institute of Housing, Pippa Pang, Social Value and Marketing Manager – Kinovo plc, Martin Stone, Head of New Business – Kinovo plc.

What’s the project you’re most proud of? What did you deliver and how did you engage local people?

We are proud of everything we have done this year Social Value wise, the importance of it has been elevated across the Group, it is no longer a ‘nice to have’ or a second thought.

We have begun to build lots of key relationships with clients so that we gain a better understanding of their needs when it comes to Social Value requirements.

Understanding your clients’ needs is critical when it comes to delivering a project that is relevant and important to them.

We’ve educated our Contract Managers about their role and responsibility in delivering Social Value on their contracts; this is an ongoing process and change of mindset for them.

In terms of community projects, our Peabody garden patio makeover and the estate garden regeneration is probably the most pivotal project in our journey so far.

We worked with Ellie Ward the Paradox Community Manager as the residents had told Ellie their community space was important to them to not only grow their own food, but also for social interaction, positive mental health and wellbeing.

**Left to right:** Ellie Ward, Paradox Community Centre Manager – Peabody, Dan Baldwin, Purdy QS took on project manager role for this project, Pippa Pang, Social Value and Marketing Manager, Vince Amorelli, Contract Manager – Purdy, Sheila Gammans, Community Programme Manager – Peabody.

We transformed the patio area at the Paradox community centre, providing new planters and creating a space for residents to use when they attend the community hall, bringing a local community garden back into life in Chingford.

Volunteers worked with residents to clear weeds, install a new pond, and make the garden more attractive. This project was a great example of social value we can deliver when collaborating with other partners in our supply chain – AP Electrical, Willow Services Limited, RDS Fire and Security Ltd and NRG Electrix – to enhance the green space in this residential area.

What’s coming up in the future? What are you really excited about?

We have recently opened a small Nature Trail in Hackney, where we are planning to hold different educational events for local residents and community groups. We are very excited about this as we have regenerated the space with local volunteer resident, Les Moore.

Part of the project includes upcycling a balcony, which was previously dumped onsite, and re-purposing it into a ‘show and tell’ space to demonstrate to residents how they can grow their own plants and turn their balconies into green havens.

We are now looking for nature lovers of all expertise to help make best use of the space.

We have called out in the local magazine ‘Love Hackney’ for any local schools or community groups that may be interested in hiring the trail for educational visits or events.Page 17, Love Hackney article https://drive.google.com/file/d/1S5mqtVseFlNFNLuoXigddHZ8CzA-gAYB/view.

In your opinion, what’s the biggest challenge for your organisation – and the wider community of people who care about delivering impact across our communities – with creating sustainable and meaningful impact? What would you change tomorrow if you had a magic wand?

Resource.

We need to get more people to help with projects that our clients would like us to help deliver. As a Group we have introduced 1 day a year for volunteering, which is a great step in the right direction and where people want and can do more they can.

People’s mindset to understand how Social Value helps everyone, and that by just giving a little it gives so much back. It would speed up the process of delivering projects, if everybody already thought this way and didn’t need educating.

Finally, what’s the best piece of advice anyone has given you?

My motto these past couple of years has been: ‘Get comfortable being uncomfortable’.

When you grow and develop you gain more confidence in yourself. To do this there are pain barriers you have to push yourself through, just like a professional athlete. If you apply this to anything in your life you fear, you will undoubtedly learn something from it and you will develop and grow. Even to start with if you just become aware of things that you maybe fearing, that are holding you back from your dreams, that is a great first step.

“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just to take the first step”

Martin Luther King

Thanks Pippa!

At Onward, we are committed to making the most positive impact we can for the people and communities we serve. We want our investment to stretch beyond bricks and mortar. Our Director of Strategy, Rob Loughenbury, tells us more…

Our Corporate Plan ‘The Onward Difference’ sets out our commitment to make a positive difference by enabling people and communities to be their best. We will do this by providing homes that people love, in places they are proud of, and by working with our partners to do more. When it comes to making The Onward Difference, we know we can’t do this alone, but by working in partnership.

MatchMyProject has provided us with the tools to do just that by giving more back to our local community through our supply chain, helping all parties achieve meaningful social value outcomes. The platform has allowed us to adjust our approach to better measure and report on social value activity, ensuring we are delivering on our Corporate Plan commitments.

Since joining, our supply chain has supported 14 key projects, donated 259 hours of volunteer time, and pledged a further 259 hours in supporting local community groups. Onward’s largest repair contractor, Fortem Solutions, currently sits at the top of the platform’s leader board after giving 176 hours of their colleagues’ time and donating over £2,300 in materials to community groups that work with us.

Our Procurement Strategy aims to put ‘our customers and neighbourhoods at the heart of purchasing decisions’. MatchMyProject therefore plays a vital role in enabling our community groups to directly access the support they need from our supply chain to deliver things such as training and work experience to gain meaningful employment. We are now in the process of embedding MatchMyProject into our procurement plans for 2023-24, whereby bidders will be able to gain access to existing Social Value opportunities published by our community groups and Onward. We already have 38 communities registered and 37 suppliers. By continuing to encourage our supply chain to sign up to MatchMyProject, we are creating the network we have long needed to make our Social Value impact more sustainable.

We also have plans in place to use the platform to develop our Onward Academy programme, which is currently being piloted in partnership with The Learning Foundry in Merseyside.

The Onward Academy is a new network of organisations we are working to build that will collaborate and use their individual expertise to deliver employment and training for our customers. This network will enable us to facilitate apprenticeships, training and work experience opportunities for our customers that will lead them into good work, and help our own colleagues develop new skills and qualifications. Overall, the Academy will increase the Social Value we offer, help deliver our sustainability strategy and growth plans, and tackle some of the challenges and skills gaps the sector faces such as retrofit.

During our first pilot programme, we have been supporting a small group of 16–24-year-olds across Liverpool to gain valuable work experience as part of a Housing Traineeship. The students have already completed their CIH Level 2 qualification in housing delivered through the Learning Foundry and are now 8 weeks into gaining valuable work experience.

This pilot has been a great opportunity to explore how Onward can support our residents by providing them with the qualifications, skills, and experience to gain valuable employment. By working with some of our partners such as the Learning Foundry who have access to funding and training, this has helped Onward to deliver this at no extra cost. This is just 1 of 3 pilots Onward are currently engaged in under the Onward Academy, whereby we are looking to maximise our partnership working to deliver more employment and training opportunities for our customers and residents within our Neighbourhoods.

Once the pilots have been completed, we will move on to phase two of the programme and conduct a scoping exercise to identify and engage with new delivery partners, rolling out the Onward Academy to expand across our North West geography. MatchMyProject will help us to advertise these opportunities to our communities and connect our supply chain to support work experience.

If you’d like to stay up to date with the latest from MatchMyProject, please get in touch.

Email: hello@matchmyproject.org

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Website: https://matchmyproject.org

Telephone: 020 3488 6223

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