Tolent donates £5K+ to two community groups in Sunderland

Tolent has worked closely with Sunderland City Council and Sunderland Voluntary Sector Alliance to ensure their social value commitment has given added value to local voluntary and community sector organisations to improve outcomes for local communities.

Tolent has donated over £5,000 to two local community groups in Sunderland as a commitment to improving the social value surrounding construction projects.

The Gateshead-based construction firm is one of the largest contractors in the North East and has a strong history within Sunderland responsible for the construction of some of the City’s most famous landmarks, including: Beacon of Light, Echo Building and, more recently, The Beam.

The firm also recently announced that it has been awarded a further project to construct 132 ultra-efficient eco homes on the Vaux Brewery site, further cementing their legacy in the City.

Tolent was supported by The Alliance who are working closely with the Council to maximise funding from investment into the voluntary and community sectors, and acted as the bridge between Tolent and the sector.

Lambton Street Youth & Community Hub (LSYCH) received £2,688, which will be used to renew the security cameras of its building and the surrounding area. LSYCH host a wide range of sporting activities, youth clubs and community sessions for people living in the city of Sunderland.

Kevin Howard, LSYCH Manager, said: “The funding kindly offered by Tolent will be used to upgrade our cameras. These CCTV cameras are an asset to this organisation, being the centre’s security and safeguarding the young people who frequent our community hub to use our services, as well as the volunteers and staff who keep the community running. The support of Tolent is greatly appreciated in helping us ramp-up the security in our centre.”

Parker Trust has also benefited from a donation receiving £2,600 which will be used to upgrade and improve the charity’s headquarters which needs renovation. The charity offers a range of activities and services that create positive opportunities for children and young people. Parker Trust organises various programmes supporting mental health wellbeing, provides education & training in languages, theatre, cookery and various other extracurricular activities that help in shaping a child’s personality.

Karen Noble, manager of Parker Trust, said: “Having Tolent donate valuable funds to our organisation is amazing. We have worked all through COVID to ensure our residents are being supported. It’s a lovely start to 2022 knowing that we can now get work done on our building to make it more inviting for the community.”

Rick Halton, regional director at Tolent, said: “Social value is huge part of our offering as a responsible contractor especially when working with local authorities. We are proud of the positive impacts we have surrounding our developments and the legacy that we can leave behind.”

Donations have been made in connection with an ongoing project at the Household Waste Recycling Centre (HWRC) in Pallion. The site is now open to the public with Tolent continuing their works on the re-use and operations unit due for completion in May.

Peter McIntyre, executive director of City Developments, said: “It’s fantastic to see two local groups being supported with key improvements that will make a real difference to communities across the city as part of the social value the Council is generating through its investment and its partnerships with key contractors such as Tolent.  As we improve the facilities for Sunderland residents to recycle and create opportunities for re-use – helping us make important progress as we work to become carbon neutral as a city by 2040 – we are also unlocking support that will benefit everyone who is involved with the Lambton Street Youth & Community Hub and Parker Trust.  This is a great result for everyone involved.”