Community Benefit Fund - Thorns Collegiate Academy School
CPC’s purpose is to work with our partners – our clients and suppliers – to deliver better buildings, homes and communities.
We’re a not-for-profit organisation, so one of the ways we do this is to invest any surplus we make into our Community Benefit Fund. Through this, we support our clients through social value initiatives for local communities in the North and Midlands.
Ahead of our most recent Community Benefit Fund project, we invited all local authorities, social landlords, ALMOs and Tenant Management Organisations to nominate one of their housing schemes for a stock condition survey, to help spot any required repairs and maintenance, but also to identify what energy efficiency measures could be implemented to bring the stock up to Government decarbonisation targets.
This report could then be used to apply for Government grants or, where possible, we may be able to fund some of the improvements through the Community Benefit Fund.
After careful consideration of the applications, we commissioned GEP Environmental, one of the suppliers on our Energy Efficiency Consultancy (N8C) framework, to carry out the survey at Thorns Collegiate Academy School, funding the project to just under £5000.
Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust is a large inner city secondary school in Smethwick, Sandwell in the West Midlands. Mr Dave Irish, Principle of the Academy said “I want a school where students are happy and achieve well above their potential, somewhere that they feel valued and important. I want to develop their awareness of their own health and wellbeing, physically and mentally.”
Thanks to the Community Benefit Fund, we were able to offer the stock condition survey to Thorns Collegiate Academy School. The site survey sought to identify opportunities to reduce energy consumption, costs and carbon emissions arising from their operations within the building.
The stock condition survey was able to identify areas where they could reduce costs and energy consumption.
After GEP Environmental completed the report, a few members of the CPC team were able to visit the Academy to hand over a hard copy whilst also having a quick tour around. Whilst on the visit, the plans were discussed regarding next steps and how to follow the recommendations from the report.
It was a pleasure working with Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust. Tony Maw, Technical Support Manager at CPC said “I was introduced to Hasnain from Shireland Collegiate Academy through Adam, the CSM for the Midlands. We had open discussions about what Hasnain’s requirements were from CPC and found early on that he wanted a procurement route to market for the demolition of an existing modular nursery and the supply of a refurbished modular nursery. All parties met for the pre-start meeting through Teams which went well, with the agreed works commencing in May and will be completed in early June.
This led to the Academy applying for the free energy condition survey, through CPC’s Community Benefit Fund, on their Thorns Collegiate Academy which identified and recommended the measures required to reduce their carbon footprint. Adam, Adil and I were fortunate to visit both Academies in May where we had a tour of the Thorns Collegiate Academy, where we viewed the Academy and discussed the Energy Condition Survey. We then visited the Shireland Collegiate Academy where we saw the existing nursery that would be demolished and renewed with a refurbished modular nursery from Wernick. I can’t wait for the project to be completed so we can revisit the new nursery and experience the difference it will make to the staff and the pupils.
Hasnain Panjwani, Strategy, Business Development and Operations at Shireland Collegiate Academy Trust said “Working with CPC has been very smooth. Tony and Adam have been on hand throughout our procurement process and supported us in the first meeting with our chosen contractor. Tony was also very helpful in sharing with us the opportunity to bid for a free energy condition survey. We were successful and very quickly had our survey completed and the report sent to us. This will help us identify areas to invest in to reduce our carbon usage and link with the curriculum to teach our students about climate change. In all cases it has been good to work with Tony and the team and we have already recommended CPC as a framework option to our schools going forward.”
Energy efficiency reports can be sourced via CPC’s Energy Efficiency Consultancy (N8C) framework. Interested? Find out how we can help you…
