Giving back to the communities in which we build

Lane End New Beginnings launched in June 2017 with the start-up funded solely by the Lane End Group as part of a commitment to give back to the communities in which the group builds affordable housing.

As a newly formed not for profit community interest company, our work mirrors the ethical approach of the Group in that you treat others as you would want to be treated.  As such, we recognise that you simply can’t create hundreds of new houses without supporting the communities that it creates.

“This is not about ticking boxes for us. We have a dedicated team making sure that the communities we build in are properly supported,” explained CEO of Lane End New Beginnings, Kate Harrison.

The work we do is not trying to re-invent the wheel, but rather enhance work that is already being done. We understand there are many organisations already doing fantastic work in these areas- we want to give them a boost and help communities to work together to the advantage of their residents.  Our goal is to bring people together for the benefit of that area.

We have an open outlook on how this can be achieved through investments of both resources and time to our network of community champions and volunteers. Each area has its own specific needs, and we are flexible, tailoring our support to maximise the benefit to that community – supporting schools, youth groups, charities – organisations that create a positive impact in their area.

With the start-up funded solely by the Lane End Group, our first team fundraising event in September 2017 involved 20 members of the Lane End Team completing a Tough Mudder Challenge. The monies raised was match funded by Lane End and has subsidised projects across the North West. Further events are planned for 2018 including a black-tie dinner in the Autumn.

On the ground, 2017 saw the rollout of our commitment to Foodbanks in each of our site areas. Through food donations to those most in need, to sorting and distributing provisions within the local areas, our team worked to support those individuals in disadvantaged positions.

We also commenced projects with schools, community organisations and charities to specifically benefit the communities within our site areas. We aim to go above and beyond a monetary donation, instead, helping these groups create sustainable and effective projects which engage residents for the benefit of their community.

In 2018 we have already begun to roll out more specific programmes through our network of Community Champions based on reducing anti-social behaviour, an issue which is always high on the agenda across Housing Associations.

If you would like to get involved in our challenges, volunteer for specific projects or are keen to support our fundraising efforts; please get in touch. And, if you are aware of any community projects which you feel may benefit from our support, please let us know – we’d love to help.

kateh@laneend.org or call 01925 907 920 for details.