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Community and environmental improvement projects

Since 1997, the SUEZ Communities Trust has paid out almost £8.2 million to support nearly 400 projects in Surrey. In addition, we regularly support charities, schools and community groups within Surrey through our Revive re-use shop charity scheme and other activities.

Community projects in Surrey

Revive Community Fund

Since 2018, 10% of net profits from our Revive re-use shops has been donated to local charities in Surrey. In 2022, we launched the new Revive Community Fund which has grants of up to £10,000 available in two funding rounds each year. More information is available here.

Supporting the NHS

Since 2022, we have been partnering with the South West London Elective Orthopaedic Centre at Epsom and St Helier Hospital to help save money and reduce waste. We collect mobility equipment, like crutches and walking frames, brought to the Community Recycling Centre and deliver them to the hospital where they are sanitized and put back into use in the community. In 2023, this project was expanded in partnership with HMP Feltham who now operate a workshop inside the prison where medical equipment can be repaired and cleaned before being put back into use, saving valuable time of NHS nurses.

Partnering with HMP Ford

Since 2018, SUEZ has been partnering with HMP Ford to provide employment opportunities for prisoners through the Released on Temporary License programme. Under this scheme, prisoners nearing the end of their sentence can apply to work on sites in Surrey, with opportunities for permanent employment upon their release. This partnership also includes a sponsored bicycle repair workshop within the prison, where prisoners learn valuable mechanical skills and help repair bicycles from the Community Recycling Centres, diverting them away from disposal through our Revive re-use shops.

Supporting the local probation service

Our paint re-use shop at the Guildford Community Recycling Centre has partnered with the Staines probation office to divert larger quantities of paint away from disposal whilst also supporting the rehabilitation of around 40 people on probation and enabling community improvement projects. Through this partnership, what would have been waste paint has been put back into use to repaint the Adult Education Centre in Surrey, a local scout hut, and raised flower beds at the Spelthorne Mental Health Activity Centre.

Reuse – Recycle – Remember

In 2017, we were contacted by Ashtead WIng (Women’s Institute – Next Generation) for urgent assistance in providing over 1,000 plastic bottles. The bottles were needed to create a poppy display in Ashtead for Remembrance Day. Our team at Leatherhead was able to provide washed bottles in a few days, ready to be cut and spray painted to create a beautiful display.

Changing Places at Thames Mead

Thames Mead Secondary School in Shepperton needed new changing rooms, as their existing facilities were very tired with damp, mould, peeling paint and broken fittings. Working with our main contractor at the Eco Park development, M+W Group, we arranged for the changing rooms to be completely re-modeled and re-fitted, with new cubicles for privacy, new flooring and a repair of their ventilation system to prevent damp building up again.

Money for old phones

Old mobile phones taken to our community recycling centres across the county are gathered together and taken to The Rainbow Trust, a charity based in Leatherhead which supports families with seriously ill children. The charity uses the old phones to generate money through resale and recycling. In 2017, we donated almost 1,200 phones.

Trust projects in Surrey

Ashford Sports Centre cleans up

The WR Sports Club in Ashford provides facilities for participation in a variety of sports including bowls, darts, pool, table tennis and tennis for local residents. In July 2018, they benefitted from £5,000 donated by SUEZ Communities Trust to fund a much-needed refurbishment of their washrooms. The upgrade allowed them to replace old showers with newer, and more accessible wet-room style facilities to improve access for everyone.

Under the boardwalks at Chitty’s Common

Chitty’s Common is a green oasis on the urban fringe of north-west Guildford which is managed by Surrey Wildlife Trust in liaison with the local community. The Common provides a rich mosaic of habitats which are valuable for many notable species of local and regional importance. A donation of £6,340 from SUEZ Communities Trust in July 2018 enable the Surrey Wildlife Trust, supported by their volunteers, to install a series of wooden boardwalks over the wettest parts of the reserve to ensure that visitors of all ages and abilities are safely able to access the site.

Rain doesn’t stop play at Spelthorne

A donation of £8,950 in January 2018 allowed Spelthorne Sports Cricket Club to establish an all-weather cricket wicket to enable practise in all weathers, as well as a much needed refurbishment of the shower facilities on site.

Lift upgrade keeps Farnham Maltings accessible to all

SUEZ Communities Trust provided £36,921 in April 2017 for the upgrade of lifts at Farnham Maltings, one of Surrey’s leading arts and communities centres. The old lifts were unreliable, costly to maintain and not fit for purpose. The donation allowed for an upgrade of the lifts to ensure the building remains accessible for all and able to handle the increasing footfall at this busy community centre.

Historic Wooded Landscape in Farnham Park restored

In April 2017, £10,000 was provided to Waverley Borough Council by SUEZ Communities Trust to maintain the wooded landscape in Farnham Park. The money was used to fell and replant lime, beech and elm trees as well as provide specialist pruning of old oak trees to ensure continuity of this specialised habitat.

New multi-use games area for Ifold Road Recreation Ground

In October 2016, SUEZ Communities Trust gave Reigate and Banstead Borough Council £48,000 towards the cost of providing a multi-use games area. The area provides space to undertake a range of games including football, basketball, netball, fitness and running and is open to all local residents.

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