Harrogate Chamber - Business Review
Our February meeting focused on Partnering for Purpose. Over 70 members and guests were in attendance at The Old Swan Hotel for a meeting which focused on the benefits of corporate social responsibility (CSR) for businesses, employees, charities and the wider community.
We were lucky enough to be joined by senior representatives from renowned local organisations:
Damian Wilkinson, Finance Director of Harrogate Spring Water
Rachel Tranter, Head of People and Safety at Envirovent
Kate Rogata, Director at Supporting Older People
Thank you all for joining us.
Key topics of discussion included sustainability and environmental responsibility for businesses, the importance of education around environmental issues so that we all understand more about looking after the planet; and working in partnership with other organisations.
We also learnt about the positive impact that CSR has on employee attraction, recruitment, and retention, as well as the wider business benefits of brand recognition, stakeholder engagement and risk management.
We also heard from Alan Garrow, Vicar at St Peter’s Church in Harrogate in our monthly charity slot. Alan outlined the support which the church offers the local community, including a breakfast club, mini supermarket, and Christmas hampers. They also have rooms which local businesses and people can hire.
A special thanks also to the team at The Old Swan for their generous hospitality, including the giant brownies!
And to our members and guests - thank you for making February’s Chamber meeting a great evening.
We look forward to seeing you all at March’s Chamber meeting.
Harrogate Chamber – Partnering With Purpose Report
At the Chamber’s meeting on Partnering with Purpose at The Old Swan Hotel on Monday evening 12 February, members and guests learnt about how businesses and charities can work in partnership for the benefit of both, as well as for the wider community.
Damian Wilkinson, Finance Director, gave us a brief history of Harrogate Spring Water, starting with the discovery of mineral water in the town in 1571. He then talked us through the company’s journey to being recognised as the first organisation in North Yorkshire to gain BCorp status.
This included a focus on environmental responsibility and sustainability across the business, reducing the amount of waste the company sends to landfill to zero, working in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy, providing education around recycling, reducing excess packaging, introducing electrical equipment and charging points, and working with other businesses who are acting in a sustainable way.
As well as helping the environment, working towards and receiving the accreditation have had a positive impact on team working, staff morale, attraction and retention of talent for the company.
Rachael Tranter, Head of People and Safety at Envirovent explained how the company, which manufactures ventilation systems, considered the environmental impact when they were designing and building the new offices at Burley Bank in Harrogate. This included sourcing sustainable, carbon neutral materials and placing solar panels on the roof.
As part of the company’s CSR strategy, they developed a roadmap towards zero carbon. This included a team of colleagues from all departments who drive environmental initiatives.
CSR is also linked closely with the company’s values. In addition to a focus on the environment, there are a number of charity events throughout the year, as well as integrating CSR into all aspects of the employee lifecycle, including recruitment, development and reward.
The benefits to the company have included brand recognition, investor relations, employee engagement and risk mitigation, which have all had a positive impact on the bottom line.
Kate Rogata, Director at Supporting Older People shared with us how working in partnership has helped the small local charity, and the people they support. Through connecting with local businesses, SOP offer support to 300 people across Harrogate and Knaresborough. This includes befriending, trips out, tea and talk, weekly exercise, and meals out, as well as an annual Christmas lunch for people who would otherwise be isolated.
For companies that get involved, this provides an opportunity to put something back into the community, as well as supporting team building, and employee engagement. Businesses can get involved in a range of activities – either fundraising through cake sales, raffles, providing gifts for Christmas parcels or as raffle prizes at the annual ball, or volunteers to drive people to weekly events.
In conclusion, Martin Mann, Chief Executive of the Chamber thanked all the speakers for sharing their experiences to help members understand how their businesses and employees can get involved.
Sarah Darbyshire FCIPD - HR Solutions Yorkshire
Member of Harrogate District Chamber of Commerce Management Group
