The Social Value Tea šµ: Week of May 21, 2025
Hello! š
Nil here with all the Social Value Tea for the week, back after a lovely week off in the sun. š
In this weekās roundup: VisitEnglandās new research highlights how tourism strengthens community bonds, while the London Assembly urges deeper integration of social value into planning and regeneration. We also cover the Business vs. Loneliness report, recommendations for corporate volunteering, Social Value Week at TechUK, and a workshop uniting academia and practice on impact and inclusion in Manchester.
Scroll down for this week’s must-know updates, interesting reads, latest jobs, and more.
Enjoy xx
News news!
Stories you might have missed.
- Tourism boosts community pride and connection, says VisitEngland report
New research from VisitEngland shows that tourism brings more than just economic benefits ā it strengthens community bonds too. People living in popular tourism areas reported feeling 23% more connected to their communities and showed significantly higher levels of wellbeing and pride in their local area compared to those in non-tourist spots.
Read more ā Visit England - London Assembly urges stronger social value policies in planning and regeneration
A new report from the London Assembly’s Planning and Regeneration Committee calls for embedding social value into the next London Plan, ensuring community voices are central to planning decisions and safeguarding assets like markets and railway arches that provide significant social benefits.
Read more ā London Gov - Revealed: European āgreenā investments hold billions in fossil fuel majors
An investigation by The Guardian and Voxeurop reveals that European investment funds labeled as ‘green’ hold over $33 billion in major fossil fuel companies, including Shell and BP, raising concerns about greenwashing and prompting calls for stricter sustainable finance regulations.Ā
Read more ā The Guardian - Workshop unites academics and practitioners to push social value and wellbeing up the agenda
A recent workshop led by Dr. Cara Mulholland brought together academics, practitioners, and policymakers to explore how social value can be more effectively embedded in both research and practice. The event focused on shifting the conversation from abstract metrics to real-world wellbeing, social justice, and the lived experienceof communities. Amongst the panellists were Christian Sait,Ā Nicola Lynch, Peter Norris, Dee Lowry, Catherine Manning,Ā Dr Sarah Fitton,Ā Carrie-Ann Huelin and Santosh Salunkhe.
Read more ā LinkedInĀ - Social Value Week 2025 at TechUK
A host of new articles have been published by TechUK discussing how technology companies are supporting social value initiatives and making positive contributions to communities across the UK.Ā This includes a great article from Social Value Business that offers insights into how SMEs can better articulate and deliver social value to stand out in bidding processes.
Read more ā TechUKĀ
Caught our eye…
Interesting reads worth sharing.
Can contract social value really help “take back back our streets”? Jay Baughan FRSA critiques the UK’s approach to embedding social value in public procurement, highlighting systemic issues such as fragmented stakeholder collaboration, superficial community engagement, and inadequate post-contract evaluations. Read more
Wellbeing Research Centre spotlights charities delivering the biggest wellbeing boost per pound: The World Happiness Report 2025, reveal that some organisations are hundreds of times more effective than others in enhancing lives, offering donors a powerful way to maximise social value. Read more
Burnout is not fixed by fruit bowls In the latest episode of the You Must Be Woking Podcast šļøthey discuss how workplace wellbeing isnāt a shopping list of perks, itās built on five boring, but essential things: Realistic workloads, safe environments, fair wages, capable leadershipĀ and space to rest. Read more
Celebrating outcomes
Great examples of social value work worth showcasing
“Social Value is a bit of fluff”
Not at SUEZ UK. They teamed up with The Harlequins Foundation to run an employability programme helping people facing barriers like homelessness and neurodiversity ā with three participants now shortlisted for jobs, itās a brilliant example of social value in action.
Stepnell calls for mental health to be built into procurement
As part of Mental Health Awareness Week, Lindsay Maartens from Stepnell was at Swindon College for a Mental health roadshow. š»She spotlighted the tough realities of construction ā from high stress to the harmful āman upā culture ā and made the case for weaving mental health and social value into procurement from day one.Ā
“We can’t do it alone, we cant change it alone, we need to do it as a #constructioncommunity. “
Siemens Mobility wins Social Value Award for community impact
Siemens Mobility UK&I has been recognised at the Women in Rail Awards 2025 for its outstanding social value efforts, including over 4,000 volunteer hours, engagement with 261 schools through STEM programmes, Ā£503 million spent with UK-based suppliers, and achieving 100% renewable electricity across all sites.
Beard Construction delivers Ā£8.5 million in social and economic value
Eleven construction projects completed by the Swindon-headquartered firm in 2024 delivered Ā£8.5 million in social and economic value, averaging 24 percent of contract value, according to the report.
In addition, 33 live projects contributed nearly Ā£200,000 while Beardās central teams, including finance, IT, HR and communications roles, unlocked a further Ā£16,700 in community impact.
Deloitte’s Elaine Reeves Highlights Value of Paid Corporate Volunteering Recommendations
Elaine Reeves, Teams Volunteering Lead at Deloitte UK, recently shared impactful team activities from organisations such as Splash Project, SportInspired, PilotLight, Cook for Good, Groundwork, WWT, Whale and Dolphin Conservation and Volunteering Matters, all offering meaningful ways for companies to engage with communities while contributing to broader social value.
Who’s hiring?
Here’s this week’s latest social value jobs list, published every Friday via our LinkedIn company page.
- Head of Social Value at Rolls-Royce SMR: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4221366555
- Social Value Manager at GXO Logistics: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4189098263
- Social Value CoordinatorĀ at Ameresco: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4226471196
- ATD – Social ValueĀ at Arcadis: https://lnkd.in/ePseJbKY
- Social Value Manager at Morgan Sindall: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4228168068
- Social Value Coordinator at Pinnacle Group Limited: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4231857344
- Social Value ExecutiveĀ at Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield: https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/4230803293
Report, Podcasts and Webinars
Should Business tackle loneliness?
A new report titled Business vs. Loneliness, released by the Economics of Mutuality in partnership with the University of Manchester and backed by Mars, explores how businesses can address the pervasive issue of loneliness.
Based on a global survey of over 50,000 people across five countries, this is the largest dataset on loneliness of its kind.
The report highlights initiatives like Asahi Europe & International’s use of bars and digital platforms to foster social connections among young people, illustrating how companies can transform social challenges into opportunities for mutual value creation.
For those interested, there is a webinar on this report on May 27th.
Let’s talk..AI-for-good
In the first episode of the Good Experts podcast, hosts Anna Patton and Matt Haworth explore how to use artificial intelligence to boost your organisationās impact, with two AI-for-good specialists: Noise Solutionās Simon Glenister and Mettamatchās Gina Romero.
On demand webinar: how can social value drive business success?
In our latest webinar – now available on demand – Malin Cunningham is joined by tech-for-good serial entrepreneur Matt Haworth. The co-founder of Impact Reporting and MeasureUp explores the evolving landscape of social value and impact reporting.
Together they unpack best practices for meaningful social value implementation and how to avoid common pitfalls such as ‘purpose-washing’.
Whether youāre crafting your next bid or shaping your brandās purpose, this on-demand webinar is packed with ideas to help you make a genuine impact – and grow your business in the process.
SDG Impact Standards Online Train-the-Trainer Course – June 2025
The next Train-the-Trainer Course will be conducted online by Social Value International in June 2025. The course will take place online over 5 days. The Train-the-Trainer course equips attendees with the knowledge and skills needed to be Accredited Trainers for the SDG Impact Standards. The SDG Impact Standards Train-the-Trainer course is for experienced impact measurement and management (IMM) professionals and trainers who want to build their own capacity and work as part of a global community accelerating the adoption of the standards.
Delivered by: Yulia Romaschenko, Technical Director, Social Value International.
Language: English
Dates: Wednesday 18, Thursday 19, Friday 20, Tuesday 24 & Wednesday 25 June 2025
Time: 9:00 am ā 13:00 pm EDT / 13:00 pm ā 17:00 pm UTC
Where to be
Upcoming events, awards deadlines and networking opportunities
- Procurex on May 21 in Liverpool (Impact Reporting speaking in the ESG Zone)
- SE100 Awards now open, due May 25th (Impact Reporting judging the Impact Management Pioneer award)
- Women in Construction event is May 27 in London, hosted by Vistry
- B Corp Fest 2025 is June 5
- The Global Sustainability Partnership Network GSPN is June 4-5 in London
- London Construction Awards now open, deadline is June 6
- Edie Net Zero awards now open, deadline is June 11
- Better Places Together Conference: Rethinking Engagement and Social Value is June 12th in Liverpool
- Global Sustainable Development Congress 2025 in June 16-19 in Turkey
- London Climate Action Week is June 21-29
- Reset Connect London 2025 will take place on 24-25 June at ExcelĀ London
What we’re loving outside of work…
Watched Eurovision over the weekend? Austria’s JJ clinched the 2025 title with his operatic ballad “Wasted Love,” delivering a performance that captivated both juries and audiences alike. The UK, however, faced disappointment as Remember Monday received zero points from the public vote.
Recommendation from our senior account manager Max Fawcett who says, “How did I not know about the Too Good to Go app before? I’m taking full advantage of this with Gregg’s two minutes from my home!”
This week’s reading recommendation comes from our Economist Kubra Hoke: The Vegetarian by Han Kang is a haunting, surreal novel that delves into the life of Yeong-hye, a seemingly unremarkable woman in Seoul who, after a series of disturbing dreams, decides to stop eating meat. This simple act of defiance spirals into a profound transformation, challenging societal norms and unraveling her relationships with her family.
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