The smooth operation of traffic management in the yard at EMERGE 3Rs is vital, both for safety and efficiency. This outdoor space is shared by FareShare Greater Manchester (for its food warehouse operation and FareShare Plus community cash and carry) as well as Touch Wood, our wood reclamation operation and workshop.
On a daily basis, it sees food deliveries coming in on articulated lorries, movement of food stock and timber by fork-lift trucks, plus dozens of customers of FareShare Greater Manchester arriving in cars and vans to collect food. To say it’s busy is an understatement.
However, until recently, the condition of the road surface in the yard was not ideal, there were potholes and old, faded road markings meant that drivers and pedestrians had to be extra vigilant about where they should be.
Corporate Volunteering Day Visit
Thanks to a conversation during a corporate volunteering day at EMERGE by a team from Manchester City Council, EMERGE Commercial Director, Mike Taylor, was able to secure help to rectify the situation in the yard at no cost at all to EMERGE.
Mike Taylor explains “Anthony Humphreys, Highways Assistant Project Manager with Manchester City Council, came to a corporate volunteering day with Gary Lamb, Social and Economic Programme Manager for North Manchester and his team. After a discussion with me about the state of the yard, Anthony made enquiries with one of the council’s contractors; Kiely Bros Ltd, to explore if they could undertake the work as part of their Social Value commitment. Anna Joyce, Social Value Lead from Kiely Group, came for a site visit to check what we needed before dispatching a team to come and do the work for us in December”.
A job well done
During their time with us, Kiely Bros Ltd repaired all potholes across the yard covering around 300m2 before marking out bays for vehicles, pedestrian walkways, crossings and two EV charging bays out in our carpark too. We now have a much safer environment for visitors, staff and volunteers to operate vehicles and walk around the yard. This came at no cost to us thanks to the generosity of all involved.
The work that was done for EMERGE under the ‘social value’ banner far exceeded our expectations. Everything that needed to be done was done, from pothole repair to road markings.
“Social value forms a core part of the procurement process when the Council takes on any new contractor for work. Making long term differences on top of work being delivered for our residents is key, and what we have seen here has been a fantastic example of it.” – Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport, Manchester City Council
Under the Procurement Act 2023, which came into force last year, organisations need to contribute a minimum of 10% of their budget to social value projects, and this experience for EMERGE proves just what that can mean for community owned & charitable organisations like ours.
A game changer
Mike Taylor, Commercial Director at EMERGE explained “This work is truly a game changer for EMERGE. Thank you so much to Anthony & Gary from the City Council and the Kiely Bros Ltd team for delivering this fantastic transformational project for us, the lads who came were brilliant and extremely professional and accommodating – hats off to you.
After the work was completed, Anna Joyce, Social Value Lead, Kiely Group commented, “at Kiely Bros Ltd, social value is about creating real, lasting benefits for the communities we work in, not just meeting a requirement. When we visited EMERGE and saw how busy the yard was, it was clear that improving the surface and line markings would make a genuine difference to safety, accessibility and day-to-day operations. Being able to contribute our skills to repair the potholes and deliver clear, high-quality road markings was something the whole team took great pride in. We’re delighted to have supported EMERGE 3Rs and to have played a small part in creating a safer, more efficient space for staff, volunteers and visitors alike.”
Gary Lamb, Social and Economic Programme Manager for North Manchester at Manchester City Council added, “I have been working closely with EMERGE for a while now and they always go out of their way to support groups and organisations. It is great Anthony arranged for something to be given back, it’s what makes the communities great and stronger.”
