EN:Procure has continued its support of communities in West Yorkshire through its Social Value Credits scheme for members.
The scheme has most recently been used by members Kirklees Council and WDH, who have donated to a combined total of eight small, local projects to the value of more than £6,000.
The funds were accrued through the use of EN:Procure’s professional procurement services to enable social housing providers to channel support where it’s most needed in their local communities. They can choose whether to use the money to support new apprenticeships, jobs in the area or to support community groups and initiatives.
Kirklees Council donated the £1,500 of credits it had accrued to develop community activities around food and invest in kitchen resources at the Soothill Community Centre in Batley.
Habib Dadhiwala, leader of the Soothill Community Association, said: “Over the years since Covid we have had a push on giving all factions of our community something they can engage in which is meaningful. We look to promote and enhance social, emotional and physical well-being and work with a number of groups locally, as well as delivering a few groups of our own.
“We are indebted to Efficiency North and Kirklees Council for their support – this donation will have such a positive impact on our community.”
WDH’s £4,600 of credits was spread across seven different causes, including a donation of more than £1,000 to Tiny Hands, a West Yorkshire charity supporting parents and children during unexpected overnight hospital stays.
Jane Robinson at Tiny Hands said: “Your donation helped us make sure every child we work with has warm clean bedding going into winter this is something we are passionate about supplying and feel it makes such a difference to children’s lives.”
Lee Parkinson, chief executive of Efficiency North, said: “Social value is the beating heart of Efficiency North and the foundation stone of our vision, values and mission. The Social Value Credits model was created as a response to our members wanting a more flexible way of delivering real impacts to the communities they serve, and that is evidenced by these donations made by Kirklees Council and WDH.
“Whether the money is going towards apprenticeships, jobs in the community or great causes, its all about building resilient communities for the north of England.”
Since launching the scheme in 2019, Efficiency North has delivered £564k in Social Value Credits to its membership for them to target support in the communities they serve. Prior to the Social Value Credits, the consortium provided over £600k through the Community Investment Fund and £50k through the Social Mobility Fund, channeling a total £1.2m into the communities of its membership.
EN:Procure ESG Manager Joe Came presents cheques to Soothill Community Association (top), Friends of the Hut (above) and Friends of Lock Lane (below)
