We’re proud to add social value to communities in Barking and Dagenham through our work with the council’s urban regeneration arm, BeFirst. Along with our provision of Clerk of Works services on numerous schemes across the borough, we have been working with BeFirst on several community development projects.

In the latest of these initiatives, we have funded the installation of bug hotels at Becontree Primary School, Dagenham.

Bug hotels provide an interactive way for children to learn about different insect species, while teaching them the importance of biodiversity and habitat preservation.

We are also pleased to be funding the installation of scooter racks in the same school. Aimed at facilitating the student Eco Committee’s campaign to encourage families to scoot or walk to school, we’re pleased to support the pupils’ own sustainability initiative.

Separately, we also participated in a Careers Networking session hosted by the Construction Trust students at Dagenham Park School and the Jo Richardson Community School. This gave students the opportunity to quiz our colleagues about their jobs at Rund, the role of a surveyor, and what they like best about working in the built environment. Over the summer, we also hosted students for a series of week-long work experience placements.

We are pleased to note the success of our social value initiatives so far, and we look forward to continuing to support communities in Barking and Dagenham.