Colleagues from Beard Construction’s offices across the South of England have planted more than 130 trees at a woodland near Bristol.
At the 194-acre Wrington Warren site owned by the company, more than 70 employees from the firm’s offices in Bristol, Swindon, Guildford, Oxford, and Southampton came together to plant saplings, marking the completion of the first phase of a long-term woodland management plan, during which 12,000 new trees were planted.
Under the guidance of a forestry expert, colleagues planted native species and learned about the woodland management activities taking place during a guided tour, before coming together to enjoy a hog roast lunch.
Purchased in 2022, Beard invested in the woodland to help reduce its environmental footprint through carbon sequestration, as trees store twice as much carbon as they emit.
Neil Sherreard, Beard Deputy Chairman
Delivering community value
This initiative comes as we celebrate generating £8.5 million in social value for local communities in 2024 through on- and off-site initiatives.
Eleven construction projects completed in 2024 delivered £8.5 million in social and economic value, averaging 24 percent of contract value. Additionally, 33 live projects contributed nearly £200,000. Beard’s central teams, including finance, IT, HR and communications roles, unlocked a further £16,700 in community impact.
The company began recording its community impact in January 2024, promoting Paula Baleson to social value manager and developing a tailored framework.
Four regional coordinators have been promoted throughout the year from within the company and earlier this month environmental studies graduate Hannah Phillips was appointed as Swindon’s social value coordinator, completing the social value team with a dedicated person in each region.
Beard also raised £100,000 for charities and good causes in 2024, including match funding from the Beard Charitable Foundation, putting the firm well on track to meet its charitable goals.
Paula Baleson, Social Value Manager
