I&G partnership wins social value award

West Yorkshire construction company I&G and major contractor Tilbury Douglas are celebrating after jointly winning an award for their work in the community.

The companies won a Procure Partnership Social Value award for their work on Horsforth Shed, a community project which aims to reduce social isolation and help vulnerable people by giving them a space to connect, converse and create.

The Shed allows people from a wide range of backgrounds to enjoy activities together that would normally happen in an individual’s garden shed, typically woodwork and metalwork.  This means like-minded individuals can have fun, make new friends and share their skills, reducing isolation and feelings of loneliness.

I&G and Tilbury Douglas have worked with Horsforth Shed for over a year, with team members donating time and materials to the project.

Having opened in July 2021, the Shed was expanding its reach through workshops and outreach projects, but they were unable to run more woodwork sessions until their extraction facilities were upgraded.  I&G and Tilbury Douglas purchased and installed a new extraction system, expanding the ventilation ducting to more workstations.  This means the Shed can accommodate more woodworkers at once, allowing them to run more classes and engagement sessions.

Richard Hamlin, Horsforth Shed Manager said:

“The support from I&G and Tilbury Douglas has been amazing, it will make such a difference to the amount of people we can support.   Our Shed helps people gain a renewed sense of purpose and belonging, reducing loneliness, allowing people to deal with mental health challenges more easily, helping people remain independent and, in some cases, saving lives.  It’s great that businesses in the community can see how valuable the work we’re doing is, and are able to give time, money and resources to support us.”

Paul Ellenor, Regional Director for Yorkshire and the North East at Tilbury Douglas, said: “This has been a fantastic collaboration with I&G, which has really benefitted local people. As well as the new extraction unit, our team has also run a series of art classes at the Shed for local people to attend, utilising the skills of our in-house designer. We’re looking forward to continuing to support the charity in the future.”

Christopher Carline, Managing Director of I&G said:

“It’s been a privilege to work with Horsforth Shed, and get an insight into the valuable work they’re doing in the community.  We’re looking forward to helping them expand their reach further in future, and can’t wait to see what they’ll be up to next.”

Find out more about the great work going on at Horsforth Shed

Want to see more social value work we’ve done recently?  Take a look at this amazing pirate-themed play area we created for children at Rotherham Hospital.