Forever Manchester works in partnership with a number of companies across Greater Manchester to help them meet their objectives of supporting a local charity to make a difference at a local level.

Undoubtedly the common theme is the mutual interest in making a difference in our communities – at a real local level where a company’s staff and customers live and work.

We have been delighted to see some of our corporate supporters recognised at a national level recently for successful delivery of their corporate social responsibility strategy.

Companies we work with believe that they have a responsibility to give something back, to make a difference. They recognise the value of their staff and that, as a company, their responsibilities don’t end when their staff leave the office at the end of the day. Their staff may have children who go to Scouts and Brownies, who play in a football team at the weekend, attend a drama group. They recognise that their staff have responsibilities; they may have elderly parents or family members or friends who need help and who may attend local activity groups such as luncheon clubs, armchair yoga classes, dementia support groups, cancer support groups, and drug and alcohol misuse support groups.

Forever Manchester corporate partners recently recognised include:

CDL, who has a named fund with Forever Manchester to deliver support to community projects in Stockport where they are based, recently received a UK Top Employers Award, followed by an article in The Guardian praising their approach to corporate social responsibility. “Responsible business practice is at the heart of how we do business, says Melissa Johnson, Group Director at CDL. “We believe in working in partnerships with our clients, our suppliers, our people and our communities to promote long-term sustainable business. We look actively for opportunities to have a positive impact on the communities in which our people live, work and do business.

This was closely followed by ANS, based at Manchester Science Park, being voted 7th in the Sunday Times 100 Best Companies to Work For – one of the criteria being how much companies are thought by their staff to put back into society generally and the local community. “The company matches charitable donations of up to £100 from personal fundraising, and allows employees to take four days off each year to volunteer for a good cause. Staff can see ANS encourages charitable activities, donating last year to support Factory Youth Zone and Forever Manchester.

And Alison Ross, Customer Experience and Operations Director at Auto Trader, recently won the Woman of the Year award at the Women in IT Awards for her work around diversity in the workplace, including responsibilities for people and culture which includes their community initiatives. Auto Trader merged six offices two years ago bringing together around 600 members of staff. One of their objectives was to make a difference in their new location and alongside that was bringing together their staff. They have done this by launching the Auto Trader Community Fund which supports grassroots community projects across Greater Manchester. They volunteer with the groups they have supported and engage the skills of staff further by making short films about the groups funded, such as the one below.

 

There are a wide range of opportunities available for companies to support their local communities by working with Forever Manchester. This can range from participating in our fundraising and social events, to becoming a corporate partner, to creating a named, branded fund where a company is able to provide funding on a more strategic level that can deliver wider benefits for the community and the company’s staff.

Supporting Forever Manchester is real, tangible, meaningful, local and, importantly, value for money.