A Quantum Leap For TREES
Sep 2008
A Leicester social enterprise has been selected as an approved contractor for an affordable housing consortium - meaning it will be one of a group of contractors to be considered for £100million worth of work over the next four years.
The £8million TREES Group based in Glenfield Road, Leicester, has been placed on the list of approved contractors for the Quantum Consortium. Quantum is a group of housing associations which have come together to achieve economies of scale, share best practice and establish a framework of criteria they expect from contractors.
Newlife, the construction arm of the TREES Group, will now be one of the companies which can bid for work with the consortium. The social enterprise provides training and employment opportunities in the construction sector and employs more than 150 people.
Newlife most commonly works in areas of high levels of unemployment and recruits from the local community, taking on men and women with varying levels of experience, giving them training and support as well as a steady income.
Any profit is ploughed back into social causes, which last year included a national competition called Spark that encouraged homeless people to develop their own social enterprises.
Newlife builds and refurbishes homes, partnering with many local authorities, housing associations and private developers across the east midlands.
John Montague, Chief Executive of the TREES Group, said: "This shows that social enterprises can compete commercially with the big boys of the construction world."
"Not only can we do the job, on time and on budget, but we can also make a difference in the communities where we work and it is reassuring to know that in this difficult economic time, that is something that is valued."
Samantha Veal, Head of Development, Derwent Living, said: "The members of Quantum are delighted that Newlife is on the list of approved contractors. We were impressed with Newlife because as well as competing commercially, they are able to demonstrate genuine social return."
Quantum consists of three developing members – East Midlands Housing (lead investment partner), Derwent Living and Futures Housing Group - together with four partner members - Advance Housing Association, Foundation HA, Rockingham Forest HA and Wellingborough Homes.
Leicester-based housing and regeneration group LHA-ASRA also joined the group to feed into this framework for contractors.
The consortium manages more than 30,000 homes across the Midlands and beyond and was launched to deliver affordable housing schemes, follow the principles of good development and share skills.
The TREES Group is sponsoring Youthbuild UK’s National Young Builder of the Year Awards 2008. There are two categories, for young men and women aged 16-25 who are already working in the construction industry, as well as students aged 14-19 undertaking pre-vocational construction studies in school and colleges.
The National Young Builder of the Year Awards, now in their 11th year, are also sponsored by the National House-Building Council, ConstructionSkills and Aspire Housing. The ceremony will be held at the House of Commons on Tuesday 28 October, 2008.
