CALA Group has announced the launch of an initiative tipped to ‘transform’ the way it supports the communities in which it builds.
Cala’s Community Pledge will see bespoke programmes of activity created for each of the housebuilder’s developments. Each Pledge will be developed by teams on the ground, informed by dialogue with each local community and going beyond any planning obligations.
A host of measures will be incorporated into each Pledge, addressing specific community needs including donations, volunteering, learning programmes, and support initiatives.
The Community Pledge is described as an ‘evolution’ of the programmes Cala has introduced over the years, including its Community Bursary which has provided over £400,000 worth of funding to a range of organisations and projects across Scotland and England.
The Pledges will include Cala’s new schools’ initiative, Land to Life, Showhome of Support – which supports local talent and businesses, and Stay Safe, Stay Away, a health and safety learning programme to raise awareness of the dangers of playing on building sites.
Eight Pledges have been formed so far and include initiatives such as a rugby club refurbishment, Breathing Space bench donations, funding for IT lessons with Age UK, and accessible playground equipment.
Kathryn Dapré, head of sustainability at Cala Group, said, “It is an incredibly exciting year ahead for Cala with the launch of the Community Pledge. This represents a more meaningful and targeted approach to community support – evolving stand-alone initiatives to a much more holistic, impact-led range of support.
“The Pledge puts our community commitments at the very core of our business and ensures we work more closely than ever before with communities so they get the support they really need from us.
“The initiative will continue to support our vision of Cala ‘building a place to be proud of’, not just across our developments, but within our business. Promoting a culture that values giving back and enabling employees to make a positive difference is so important, and the Community Pledge offers an opportunity for our teams to get involved and make a real, long-term impact in the communities we’re operating in.”
