Longhurst Group forges link with community interest company in Grimsby to give opportunities to locals

Longhurst Group is delighted to have forged links with a community interest company in Grimsby to help provide opportunities for residents in the area.

We’ve joined forces with East Marsh Construction to work on projects in the East Marsh area of the town.

The link-up came after we launched our Community Investment Team, which aims to establish relationships with organisations that can help to improve the communities in which our customers live.

Sue Crask, Community Investment Lead for the East, said: “When I took up my role, one of my first tasks was to make contact with organisations working in the local area.

“I met with representatives of East Marsh United, and later East Marsh Construction, to see how we as organisations could work together in the future.

“This developed and I introduced our Housing Team and Property Services Team and the partnership has grown from there.

“Partnerships such as these demonstrate our commitment to the communities we work in. We’re supporting local labour and training opportunities and local businesses and we feel it’s important for us to be visible in these communities.

These relationships also support the delivery of our Improving Lives vision and our Community Investment strategy. We’re delighted to be working with an organisation who want to bring the East Marsh area of Grimsby back to its former glory and if we can help them with this, we’re investing in the future of the community we serve.

“We’re committed to working in the communities of North East Lincolnshire and partnerships such as our one with East Marsh Construction will not only strengthen our links in these areas, but also help people gain vital experience in the workplace, which could also lead to them gaining qualifications and ultimately full-time employment.”

East Marsh Construction has recently completed a fencing project for us at some properties in the area and will continue with work on some more properties as part of our Enhanced Lettable Standards programme.

Matt Taylor, Regional Repairs Manager, said: “Work so far has been excellent and the fencing project was completed to a very high standard.

 

To date, the organisation has proven to be very reliable and keen to continue working with us.

“We hope to work with them on future projects and we’ve made them an approved contractor, meaning we can continue this relationship in the future.”

East Marsh Construction operatives are employed full-time by the organisation, while gaining valuable experience working on projects as they work towards qualifications in building maintenance.

Peter Rowley, Director of East Marsh Construction, said the partnership with us has been vital to the organisation’s success.

He said: “We’re delighted to be working with Longhurst Group. They’ve been sending us a steady stream of work as they said they would and they’re pleased with our standard of work.

“It’s great that we’ve got this stream of work coming down the line as the more successful we are, the more opportunities and employment we can offer to local residents.

“Longhurst Group has shown a real social conscience and if we can continue to get work with a big organisation like them, it can help to make a real difference on East Marsh.

“We want to keep improving the area for residents and ultimately employ them. We want to get a bit of pride back in the area and give school leavers a bit of an opportunity, especially with the unemployment situation we’re likely to have coming down the line.

It’s skilled work, and we’re also offering the chance to gain qualifications. So far, we’ve managed to take on four people and those we’ve already taken on have been great. They’re hardworking and are keen to learn.

“The opportunity to work with Longhurst Group has been a life saver. It’s been a fantastic partnership up to this point and I’m really pleased to be working together.

“Our ultimate aim is to keep expanding and this link-up has made the difference.”