InfraRed’s Community Engagement Committee oversees the firm’s community engagement activities and charitable initiatives.
The committee consists of a multi-disciplined team who represent a cross-section of staff, taking a genuine, hands-on role in promoting community engagement initiatives. Where possible, the committee looks to either work collaboratively with, or leverage support from, business partners to maximise the outcomes generated from the initiatives undertaken.
In 2020 the committee implemented several initiatives which included:
- The LifeCycle Project: In collaboration with InfraRed’s business partners, Vercity, Bouygues Energies and Service as well as the Department of Work & Pensions and HM Prison Service, InfraRed launched the Lifecycle Project – a social initiative to up-cycle unwanted bicycles for key workers and others in need, whilst providing training and employment opportunities for prison leavers. As of April 2021, 64 bikes had been donated from InfraRed, Bouygues Energies and Service and Vercity staff and partners and 30 bikes had been donated to NHS key workers at West Middlesex Hospital, Southmead Hospital and Peterborough City Hospital.
- Donation of £100,000 worth of furniture to in-need stakeholders in six projects: Following the relocation of InfraRed’s London office last year, the firm donated furniture – including lockers, booths, pods, chairs, and soft furnishings – to enhance the working environment of stakeholder groups in several schools as well as the Metropolitan Police and West Middlesex University Hospital.
- A virtual London to Sydney race: InfraRed staff walked or ran from their London office, across the world to colleagues in Sydney, raising over £160,000 for charities targeting those whose lives have been severely impacted by Covid-19.
- Laptops Initiative: InfraRed donated their own surplus corporate laptops to Da Vinci Academy, Derby; Glan Usk Primary School, Newport; and Forest Hill School, Lewisham; to support students to study from home during the lockdown period.
- Wellbeing of Staff: During the Covid-19 Pandemic, InfraRed established several initiatives to further improve the wellbeing of staff, including employee engagement surveys, development programmes and a ‘Go-To Team’ for staff to contact when needing additional support. Further examples can be found in Appendix C.
To further support the firm’s community engagement initiatives InfraRed has also established the £1million InfraRed Charitable Foundation, which is an independent charity promoting SDG 3 Good Health and Well-Being, SDG 4 Quality Education and SDG 13 Climate Action. The trustees, a mixture of senior executives and individuals from wider industry, are responsible for distribution of the Foundation’s funds, engaging with staff to identify good causes and helping to maximise the charitable impact. The InfraRed Charitable Foundation is targeting to make its first charitable donation in 2021.