Galliford Try is delivering phase two of the Heart of the City development in Sheffield, providing £28.6m of works on commercial, leisure, retail and residential developments in the city centre for Sheffield City Council, through the YORbuild2 framework.

The scheme will rejuvenate an underutilised area of the city which includes eight premium retail units, four townhouses, 52 apartments, and 3,000 sq. ft of prime office space. But the story is about more than just delivering high-quality buildings to regenerate a city centre, as people benefitting from YORbuild and YOR4good can testify.

Local artists and community members with the Cabin donated by Galliford Try

Social value is at the heart of YORhub frameworks and as part of the YORbuild2 scheme, the development had an in-depth employment and skills plan involving local schools, colleges and universities, providing a range of initiatives using technology and creativity suitable for all ages and skill levels.

Galliford Try’s project team, together with their Corporate Responsibility Manager, Rebecca Caunce, ran 18 workshops which comprised remote lessons and interactive sessions with local schools, colleges and universities including Holgate Meadows SEN school, the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University and Sheffield Park Academy.

 

The city centre project delivered new employment opportunities for 35 local people, achieving an exceptional 184% of the social value target. Work experience placements was another area of success, doubling the amount of work experience placements targeted and delivering 25 work experience placements in total.

The team also arranged nine site visits against a target of eight, where students and members of the wider community took part in a site tour and a project overview presentation with the opportunity to ask questions to senior site team.

Additionally, a site visit was arranged in collaboration with Business in the Community (BITC) and was delivered to Syrian refugees looking to gain employment in the construction industry. COVID-19 restrictions meant the team had to deliver workshops remotely, allowing the team to engage with students. This also allowed the team to deliver an impressive 360% of the scheme’s social value KPI for educational workshops.

 Local artists painting the cabin donated by Galliford Try

Galliford Try also donated a site cabin to the Link Community Hub through the Men’s Sheds Association, as part of their YOR4GoodFund donation. Our community fund, YOR4Good, supports economic regeneration in areas covered by YORhub frameworks. It is funded by donations of cash or benefits in kind from contractors and consultants, when they’re awarded projects through our frameworks – and is a key strand of the YORhub ethos of delivering community benefits and a lasting legacy.

The cabin will be used by Men’s Sheds to support men in the local area by helping to reduce loneliness and isolation. Serving the wider community, the cabin will also be used by various community groups, supporting local and vulnerable residents experiencing extreme deprivation and poverty or long-term unemployment.