Working with Charities and Local Communities
How we are addressing this issue:
In 2010 we began to capture information on the contribution both our staff and the company is making to local charities and communities. Some examples of what we have done are listed below:
- 30 staff from St George and Berkeley completed the Property Week 10k run on behalf of Muscular Dystrophy.
- 3 staff from St James completed the Green Park Triathlon for Sport Relief.
- Given donations for prizes in a number of charity raffles and school fetes.
- Repaired, refurbished and redecorated community buildings such as children's and religious centres, church halls and local schools.
- Provided advice on planning applications for local community facilities.
- Provided a training workshop for the Royal Engineers on site safety.
We also launched The Berkeley Foundation in March 2011. It is designed to capture, coordinate and drive forward the Group's corporate social responsibility activities. This is the first time a major housebuilder has set up a Foundation to spearhead its CSR programme. Our main strategic focus is on supporting young people in London and the South East, particularly those not in education, employment or training. Click for more information on The Berkeley Foundation.
Our performance:
In 2010/11:
- The total amount contributed by Berkeley and its staff to charitable and worthy causes, including money raised by The Berkeley Foundation, was £0.8 million.
- We contributed over 600 hours of staff time to local charities and communities and made numerous in-kind donations.
Our Vision2020 commitments and ambitions:
As part of delivering Vision2020 we have set specific objectives to help ensure that we invest in the communities in which we operate, as well as supporting other good causes.
Our commitments from May 2011:
- Capture and quantify our work with charities and local communities and benchmark performance
- Match employees' donations and fundraising for The Berkeley Foundation
- Implement a Give as You Earn Scheme
- Raise £300,000 for The Berkeley Foundation through employee fundraising and donations
Our ambition from May 2012:
- Achieve the Business in the Community Mark
