Community involvement 2017

The following are just a few of the many examples of volunteering undertaken by Tarmac employees to support their local communities during 2017:

Materials Southern Region
Colleagues from our Materials South region braved the winter weather to support their Essex Wildlife Trust. The team spent the day cleaning public walkways, cutting back dead shrubbery and tidying up the grasslands areas to help improve Chafford Gorges Nature Park.

Tarmac Building Products
Green-fingered staff from our Building Products business helped spruce up some open spaces in South Staffordshire. The nine-strong team spent the day with Friends of Bilbrook creating habitats for wildlife, gardening and planting trees. Friends of Bilbrook are a non-profit community group, whose main aim is to improve the environment and open spaces around the village. Danielle Williams, HR administration manager, said: "It was a great team building day, outside, whilst giving something back to our local community."

The Royal High School,Edinburgh
Pupils from the Edinburgh school completed the Concrete in the Classroom project and as part of the five-lesson plan the youngsters visited Dunbar, to see how cement is produced. Over five 50-minute classroom-based lessons, the 22 third year students learned about the history of concrete, how the material is produced, health and safety in the workplace, how to mix and make the product, and where the products are used. David Simpson, deputy rector at the school, wrote in a letter: “We had a great experience which I know has had an impact on all the pupils. “It all brought home to the youngsters the many facets of modern heavy industry which they simply would not have considered’

The University Technical College, Norfolk (UTCN)
Colleagues from our National Contracting, Highway Services business have been helping to address the shortage in STEM skills. The University Technical College Norfolk (UTCN) is working with local businesses including Tarmac to help shape its curriculum, provide work experience and hold skill building sessions with its students. Joanne Stiff, HR manager – Contracting, visited UTCN to host an interview skill workshop to pupils in years 10 where the students got to find out about Tarmac and career opportunities within the construction industry.

Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT)
Seven volunteers, from our Land and Natural Resources team supported Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust (LRWT) to clear vegetation and remove ragwort from LRWT-managed Mountsorrel and Rothley Marshes Nature Reserve in the Soar Valley.

WMG Academy for Young Engineers, Coventry
Staff at our Mancetter quarry, Warwickshire, have been encouraging the next generation in the industry after hosting school visits to the site. BTEC Engineering students from the WMG Academy for Young Engineers, were shown round the site, watched materials being loaded at face, saw the production of asphalt and aggregates and dropped in on the quality control laboratory to witness materials being tested.

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership
Youngsters Cambridgeshire were given a masterclass in road safety, thanks to a Tarmac-sponsored event at Huntington Racecourse. More than 400 school-leavers attended the event, organised by Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Road Safety Partnership, to raise awareness of dangerous driving. Students and staff took part in safe driving workshops, tried their hand at mock driving tests, and learned car maintenance skills too. Tarmac played our part by bringing a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) to help youngsters understand the differences between driving an HGV and a car.

The Craigneuk Family Learning Centre, North Lanarkshire
This Scottish community centre was supported by colleagues in our Contracting division after they spent a day sprucing up a large garden area. The centre was desperate for some help to turn its rundown outdoor area into a much more inspiring space for the children. The Tarmac team helped to install new, donated, paving slabs, back edging and complete some drainage work in readiness to install a children's sandpit.

Mountsorrel and Rothley Community Heritage Centre (MARCH)
Tarmac has contributed more than £750,000 over the last three years to MARCH, via the Landfill Communities Fund. In addition to donating to this project through the Landfill Communities Fund, we have also donated a range of construction materials and provided professional advice during certain phases of the project. A significant number of colleagues have also volunteered on this project. Tarmac’s Mountsorrel Quarry is a key part of the local community, with 90% of its 160 colleagues living within a ten-mile radius of the site. The quarry is located less than one mile from the Heritage Centre.

Transport for London and the Metropolitan Police
Staff from our Materials business logistics team were invited to support Construction Logistics and Community Safety (CLOCS) in pushing the importance of road cycle safety at the 2017 London Bike Show. Together with the police we ran our exchanging places programme where cyclists are given the chance to get a driver's eye view from the cab and see just what a driver can see in an attempt to reduce road traffic incidents. The team raised awareness of the risks heavy good vehicles (HGV) pose to cyclists, and how both communities can look out for each other.

#BUILDINGOURFUTURE

“It was a great team-building day, outside, whilst giving something back to our local community.”

Danielle Williams,
HR administration manager