Why supporting the local community remains high on the agenda for CF Fertilisers
FEATURE
On the tools – Phil Tiplady, Craig Oxley, Glenn Hardman and Craig Stephenson helped out at Norton-based autism and neurodiversity charity Daisy Chain.
VOLUNTEERING MATTERS
Why supporting the local community remains high on the agenda for CF Fertilisers
CF Fertilisers has a long and distinguished history in supplying fertiliser and products to the agricultural and chemical industries.
Its reputation owes much to an unwavering commitment to its values and the skills and expertise of its people, who are at the heart of the company.
These values also drive its commitment to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone thrives and its support of local communities, charities and good causes through its Inclusion Resource Group( IRG).
The value of being a good neighbour While the industrial landscape of the area has changed over the decades and new businesses move into the region as it continues to prosper, the Billingham complex, home to CF Fertilisers, has a history entwined with the town and its residents.
It was back in 1917 that Billingham was chosen as the site of a new chemical works and much of the population growth in the town, from 18,000 in 1931 to 32,00 in 1961 based on census records, was directly driven by the expansion of the Billingham complex and the investment of then custodian, ICI, in the town.
From buying or building houses for its employees to establishing the original Synthonia Club, a social club, which still runs today in the shape of the Synthonia Suites, and the cricket and football clubs, the complex’ s commitment to being a good employer and in turn a good neighbour continues to this day.
CF Fertilisers has a corporate giving philosophy and through the IRG it donates up to £ 50,000 per year as its way of giving back. This giving spans the firm’ s four key pillars – environmental sustainability, healthy food access, STEM education and local community advancement. These four areas support the company’ s values and align with its business.
Volunteering at CF Alongside this financial support is another more tangible means of support – volunteering.
One of the ways CF engages with its local communities, both in Billingham and in Chester, where its selling, general and administrative function is based, is through its Volunteering Time Off( VTO) scheme, which was established in 2022.
This entitles all full-time employees to one day of paid leave every calendar year to volunteer at a registered charity, cause or not-for-profit organisation.
To complement employees’ individual efforts, CF’ s IRG also organises volunteering opportunities for colleagues across the broad cross-section of charities the company supports.
The motivation behind this is to make the VTO programme as accessible as possible by reducing logistical barriers. The more staff who take part, the greater the impact on the community – as well as on the staff themselves in terms of a personal sense of reward and satisfaction.
32 | Tees Business