The winners of the first ever Social Value for Future Generations Awards 2021 have been anounced as the second National Social Value Conference: Wales came to an end. 

Welsh businesses across public, private and third sectors have been recognised for delivering outstanding social value initiatives to communities in Wales, embedding social value and the seven goals of the WBFG Act into their processes.

The judges were particularly impressed with how many organisations have led the way by including the principles of Future Generations into their decision making.  By focusing on real data, they are showing how businesses in Wales can measure and report on the improvements they have made to the lives of those in their respective communities.

Guy Battle, CEO, Social Value Portal said:

“We have been delighted to see so many delegates attend our second annual National Social Value Conference: Wales and are extremely pleased to see social value being adopted so wholeheartedly across the country.

“The awards celebrate everything that social value generation is trying to achieve;  organisations coming together to deliver place-based schemes that benefit society as a whole, ensuring that we leave a positive, lasting legacy for generations to come.”

Despite a very high calibre of entries, nine organisations have been recognised for delivering outstanding initiatives with a further four being highly commended:

Prosperous Future Generations Award – winner 

Transport for Wales won for their sustainable office fit out in Llys Cadwyn.  Using the WBFG Act to map goals, initiatives implemented included; minimum wage across all suppliers, working with a local supply chain and seeking to work with social enterprises to deliver the work.

Sustainability and Resilience Award – winner 

Ysgol Pen Rhos worked with HLM Architects to regenerate a derelict site, rejuvenating the landscape and integrating it into the design for the new school.  Facilities at the school are being shared with the local community, taking a truly holistic approach to benefit everyone.

Highly commended: Global engineering, management and development consultancy Mott Macdonald was highly commended for their innovative approach to building coastal defences by integrating community benefits in Colwyn Bay.

Cohesive Communities Award – winner 

Cardiff based building contractor, Knox & Wells partnered with CUBE, a Barry based volunteer charity to create a team of specialists to support families living with – or affected by; mental health, suicide, grief, loss, domestic abuse and substance abuse.  The project focused on male mental health, the number one killer in the construction industry.

Highly commended: The Enbarr Foundation was highly commended for its Beacon of Hope project in Deeside which started its transformation work with the local community in 2018.

Welsh Culture and Language Award – winner 

Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd won for leading the way by actively promoting the use of the Welsh language in the construction industry in Wales.  They have been the first construction company to use the ‘iaith gwaith’ logo on their hard hats, the first to adopt Welsh Language Commissionals and have also established a Welsh Language Champions Group.

Public Sector Leadership Award – winner 

Powys County Council won for its Home-Grown Homes Project which succeeded in delivering a fundamental shift in the way social housing is built in Wales.  The plan was to meet the demand for more housing whilst also tackling big issues including; climate change, fuel poverty, quality social housing as well as foundational and circular economies.  The project worked with an entirely Welsh timber supply chain, building the financial case for farmers and landowners to plant trees and develop training programmes to ensure that Wales has the necessary skill sets to take these initiatives forward.

Highly commended: Hywel Dda Health Board were highly commended for their ‘Local Needs’ led approach, one of the first health sector organisations in Wales to engage with social value.

Pioneering Equality Award – winner 

Set up by INFRA Skills Ltd and RSS Infrastructure Ltd, the Journey Into Rail Project works to upskill members of local communities near the railway.  A four week long, fully funded course was offered, training delegates in rail construction, civil engineering, fending, OLE, arboriculture and health & safety competencies.  The initiative has been running since 2019 and since then has provided 368 new frontline staff and a workforce with an average age of 35 where minority groups represent 28% of the overall group.

Health and Wellness Award – winner 

Halo Leisure supports vulnerable and isolated people including those with complex health conditions such as dementia and their carers to stay physically active and socially connected.  As well as improving access to information and advice and keeping people connected, Halo managed to encourage more people to be active during and after lockdown than before the pandemic.

Highly commended: Construction, property & services company BAM was highly commended for demonstrating how a private sector organisation can provide wellbeing programmes for its own people.

Voluntary and Third Sector Leadership Award – winner 

Housing association Bron Afon introduced a simple but innovative tool that translates the vision of a sustainable Wales into real and tangible outcomes for the community.  The organisation adopted the seven well-being goals and ways of working introduced by the WBFG Act to guide decisions and actions.  Bron Afon’s community funding scheme, Pitch 4 Pounds helped to maximise contributions to the goals and social values as part of community projects seeking funding from Bron Afon.

Private Sector Leadership Award – winner 

The social mobility pledge by Cardiff based law firm Blake Morgan aligned all of its activities with the WBFG Act and the Welsh Government’s Wellbeing Objectives which includes measuring both the outcomes as well as using the firm’s expertise to help clients maximise community benefits such as the Cardiff Commitment (which brings the public and private sectors together to work in partnership to connect young people to employment opportunities.  They have also signed up to the Social Mobility Pledge and supported GO Wales, partnering with Cardiff University to provide work experience opportunities.

For further details: https://socialvalueportal.com/social-value-for-future-generations-awards-2021-winners/