FEATURE
Empowering residents – head of community resilience Angela Corner says local people are at the heart of everything Thirteen does .
By building energy-saving considerations into operations , an organisation can encourage loyalty from its customers , which can have long-term advantages as businesses start to see the cost benefits of their investments .
Thirteen plans to invest more than £ 230m in its homes over the next five years and has introduced a strategy to achieve net zero carbon on all business emissions by 2035 .
It is doing this in a number of ways , including reducing the carbon footprint of its housing portfolio by making homes warmer and more energy efficient for its customers . This vision is embedded into its strategic plan , which guides the overall business and its employees to make decisions with their impact on the environment in mind .
Social value and connecting with neighbourhoods Organisations have a social responsibility to their communities and , by working alongside voluntary and community groups , charities , community projects and small businesses , organisations can play a vital role in supporting those in need .
Angela Corner , head of community resilience at Thirteen Group , said : “ Local people and communities are at the heart of everything we do , and we have been working with communities to empower residents to create stronger , sustainable neighbourhoods that can thrive .
“ Our teams have been working closely with community initiatives and residents to make a positive impact , and through the development of meaningful projects , we want to make sure local people are proud of where they live .
“ Over the past 12 months our community resilience team has been working with local
communities to tackle environmental and social issues .
“ This includes working with residents and businesses to remove more than 26.8 tonnes of rubbish , and planting more than 200 trees and 1,800 whips across six areas in the Tees Valley .”
Thirteen has also been working with organisations to help them develop stronger relationships with voluntary and community groups , charities and community initiatives , so they can start working together to tackle issues most important to people in their neighbourhood .
Governance and operating ethically Good governance plays an important role in ethical business , which includes how an organisation operates and conducts itself , as well as how it supports its staff .
People want to engage with and work for ethical organisations that do the right thing and add value to their community . Embedding ethical practises into a business plan can foster loyalty from customers and staff .
Thirteen strives to meet the highest standards to protect its customers and colleagues and has embedded ethical practices into its strategic plan , ensuring that its values are reflected throughout the organisation .
It has also developed a staff wellbeing strategy to ensure colleagues have access to a range of support as and when they need it .
Launching the programme to connect local businesses with communities Thirteen is now looking to start conversations with local businesses that want to connect with local community initiatives .
It has created a volunteering programme for businesses which has been successfully trialled with groups of its employees .
Thirteen recently hosted an event in partnership with local charities which saw volunteers get stuck in to help a local eco shop in Middlesbrough that is facing unprecedented demand .
It also helped to revamp a green space for pupils at a primary school in Hartlepool so children could make the most of the space and learn more about the environment .
The group wants to give more organisations the chance to make a real social impact by providing volunteering opportunities across the Tees Valley , which will help businesses make meaningful connections , improve their ESG performance and drive employee engagement .
It hopes that by starting the conversation and creating new ways for businesses to work with local communities , more organisations can start to make a real difference to the lives of local people , while also giving their staff a unique and rewarding experience .
If you would like to get involved and organise a volunteering opportunity for your colleagues , contact Angela Corner at community . resilience @ thirteengroup . co . uk .
The voice of business in the Tees region | 81