Everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential

At Willmott Dixon, we've always been about more than just constructing buildings - we believe in building communities too.

Our company has always had a strong focus on people and leaving a lasting impact beyond our buildings. It's in our DNA, and it's something we've been doing long before the term ‘social value’ even existed. Going back through our 1978 report and accounts you’ll find mentions of our support for community organisations through financial contributions and the efforts of our employees, which shows just how deep this runs in our veins.

Why is promoting opportunity and social mobility important to us? Simply, we believe that everyone deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. We've made it our mission to support people from all backgrounds. We do this through projects like our Building Lives Academies, where we teach construction skills in colleges and in prisons, our practical STEM programmes in schools, and our mentoring, apprenticeship and work experience opportunities for those furthest from the job market.

Giving hope to inmates at HMP Belmarsh with our drylining academy to help upskill them ready for release back to society

So, it’s a big deal for us to see our efforts over the years recognised by the first ever King's Awards for Enterprise for Promoting Opportunity. An award that's especially meaningful because it marks a decade since the UK government's Public Services (Social Value) Act 2012; the law which makes sures public money is spent in a way that delivers the greatest possible social value.

As the Head of the Foundation since 2017, I have seen first-hand how our efforts have grown in using our skills, resources, and experience to make a difference. I love hearing the success stories of individuals we've helped get a foot-up because it's incredibly rewarding to see the difference we make.

Making a genuine difference

But creating social value is about more than just good storytelling. It's about making a genuine difference in our communities and showing positive outcomes that transcend PR stunts and greenwashing. And we have the data to prove it. By tracking and measuring our impact, we can give our customers a complete picture of the value of our work in their local communities. And that’s what impresses our customers and earns us accolades such as the King’s Awards for Enterprise.

Ten years of Willmott Dixon's Foundation helping to support social mobility in society

In just one year, our people ran over 600 programmes to help improve people’s employment chances, reaching 86,945 individuals and delivering £668m worth of social return on investment from our live projects. And our employees volunteered over 48,000 hours of their time to make it all happen.

Most significant for me, 85% of our projects involved customer and community stakeholders in their planning, meaning we address the genuine needs of the areas we work in. And feedback shows 87% of people say our activities deliver a high impact. These are not just numbers; they represent real people whose lives have been changed for the better.

We all can play a part

After 17 years at Willmott Dixon, I'm proud of our accomplishments. But it's more than just a Willmott Dixon story. Our supply chain partners, customers, and community organisations play key roles in helping us to make a difference. We even collaborate with competitors, learning from one another, sharing passion and frustrations, and achieving more than we could individually.

Winning the King's Awards for Enterprise is a testament to the deep commitment of our people and all those who work with us to make a positive impact. While we have too many fantastic partners to list them all here, I encourage them to share their stories of working with us, so we can celebrate together.

Over the coming years, growing commercial and economic pressures will make delivering social value more challenging for construction contractors. But we must stay the course. At Willmott Dixon, we have a strong record of supporting people and leaving a lasting legacy in communities, and we're not stopping any time soon.