Introduction
As part of the 21st Century Schools Framework, Read Construction were appointed in September 2015 as the Main Contractor on the Llandudno Junction Area New School development project.
The scheme involves the construction of a new Primary School with the capacity of 432 pupils and 60 Nursery places.
Throughout the contract, Read are committed to investing in the local community to provide added value to project deliveries and Clients’ investments through a Community Benefits Programme. Read’s Community Benefits Plan includes providing talks for School children from the Health and Safety Mascot, Ivor Goodsite, providing local employment opportunities and supporting regeneration and community engagement in the local area.
Community Engagement
Why do we do this?
Read Construction believe it is important to benefit both the Client by delivering a quality project, but also the local community and areas surrounding the project. This enables the local community to actively engage with the project throughout the building work and be a part of the process. Read’s Community Benefits Plan addresses ‘Sustainable Procurement’ Environmentally, Socially and Economically. Read will deliver value for money on in terms of generating benefits to society and the economy, whilst minimising damage to the environment.
How do we do it?
Some examples of the types of Community Benefit activities that Read carry out:
Trainees
Jonathan recently joined Read Construction
as a Technical Trainee after finishing Secondary School. He is based both on site
and at the Read Head Office.
On site, Jonathan assists the Site Manager with the day to day running of the site. Jonathan is also responsible for delivery management, acting as a Banksman and general training and work on site.
“I find it really beneficial gaining onsite experience. I get to experience all aspects of the construction process and feel like I’m a valuable part of the team”, said Jonathan.
By giving him the opportunity to work both on site and in the Head Office, Jonathan is able to gain practical and administrative skills for the future.
Local employment
Read is particularly keen to raise awareness to local businesses of the opportunities that Read was looking to sub -contract on the project.
The event was advertised on Sell 2 Wales and Business Wales, ensuring that local businesses were made aware of the opportunities available to work on the project. Local companies were given the opportunity to meet with the site team, Quantity Surveyor and SHE manager at Conwy Business Centre, local to the project, to discuss the opportunities available on the Llandudno Junction project and on other projects in the North Wales area. Damian Bryan, Quantity Surveyor commented,
“The event went very well and it was good to see local trades coming to speak to us about the project. The event provided a great opportunity to connect with local businesses.”
Following the event, 100% of attendees are now on Read’s tender list for consideration on future projects and an order was placed with one attendee within a week of the event.
Iolo Rhys, SHE Manager commented,
“Read have actively encouraged local supply chain involvement to schemes for many years, and we’re as committed as ever to engaging local companies at Llandudno Junction. The Meet the Buyer event was an excellent opportunity for local companies to meet our team, discuss prospects and start or renew LOCAL EMPLOYMENT partnerships.”
STEM Support
In the interest of inspiring young people in the local area, two of the site team members, Jess and Ian, recently attended a Codi STEM event. The event, organised by Coleg Llandrillo-Menai, was aimed at encouraging students from local schools to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM).
The Read team spoke to the students about the varying roles in the construction industry and the different routes available to someone wishing to pursue a career in construction. Students were able to look at plans for the Llandudno Junction School project, the recently completed Chester Zoo Islands project and speak to the team about upcoming plans and opportunities.
Aled Hughes, Coleg Llandrillo-Menai commented:
“I want to thank Read Construction for supporting the Codi STEM event. The event itself was hugely successful and it couldn’t be done without support from employers such as yourselves.”
Read will continue to support careers events, in the hope of inspiring more young people to pursue construction careers.
Local spend
Following the site specific Meet the Buyer event, Read have ensured that the attendees are considered when letting out work packages for the project. To date, Read have used two new local providers who attended the event. Read have developed a new partnership with local company Gwynedd Forklifts, with plans to continue a working relationship with the company over the duration of the project.
Education
Read have actively engaged with Ysgol Nant y Coed and Ysgol Maelgwn from the offset of the project. At the beginning of the project, pupils of both schools were visited by Ivor Goodsite, the Considerate Constructors Health and Safety Mascot who delivered an important safety message.
Ivor was joined by Matthew Nicholas, Site Manager, and Jessica Rooney, Assistant Site Manager, who delivered a presentation about the hazards of building sites and the procedures in place to keep everyone safe. Children were given the opportunity to talk to the site team and ask questions about the build and what it is like to work on a building site.
“The Ivor Goodsite visit was not only education but fun. It was great to see the reaction of our younger pupils”
commented Llion Ellis, Nant y Coed head teacher. The visit from Ivor highlighted the dangers of a construction site to the children in an easy and approachable way, and as a result, engaged them with the progress of build.
Community
Read are passionate about involving the local community in projects. Through the use of a community Facebook page, Read are able to share realtime updates with the community, with project alerts specific community newsletter information.
The Facebook page and project web page allow the community to contact the team with project related queries and stay updated throughout the project.
Tracey Hughes, local resident, commented,
“it makes a rather refreshing change to be kept informed by contractors as to work progress, start dates, changes etc. I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product.”
Residents concerns about the project are addressed by the site team through written and verbal communication. The team ensure that concerns are addressed and matters raised with Conwy Council when necessary.
Residents’ open day
Llandudno Junction residents were invited to meet the Site Team at a local Primary School shortly after Christmas. Read provided refreshments for the residents whilst giving a presentation and a talk on the project to date and were informed of progress of the community benefit programme.
Residents were able to speak to the Read site team and a representative from Conwy Council about the project and ask questions about the progress and programme. Jessica Rooney, Assistant Site Manager, said:
“I found it extremely useful to engage with the local community. The event is proof of Read going above and beyond to connect with local residents, meet them face to face and address any concerns that they may have.”
Residents will have the opportunity to meet the site team again during the construction phase.
Upcoming community activities
Over the duration of the project Read will continue to work in partnership with the local community, schools and Conwy County Borough Council to deliver community benefits and maximise the added value of the project.
Read are currently working in collaboration with the Conwy Voluntary Services Council to scope out the plans for a potential community garden project. The project will involve local businesses and members of the community.
Read have partnered with CITB to develop a programme of educational visits and work placements once the project is in the construction phase. Through partnering with the CITB, Read will shortly be attending a number of local secondary school and colleges to provide careers talks and give an insight into the world of Construction.
Waste diverted from landfill
Read Construction are proud signatories of the “Halving Waste to Landfill” WRAP initiative. In order to demonstrate our progress towards this commitment, Read measure, collect and collate waste data on a monthly basis (waste mass and composition feedback from specialist waste management contractor).
The data is converted into KPIs (key performance indicators) which are monitored and reported back to the site delivery teams to ensure that the benchmark is continuously met and improved.
Having developed lean waste management procedures the company can comply to BREEAM Waste credit requirements with confidence, deliver the company’s Social Responsibilities, and offer savings to Clients.
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