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While knocking down walls, demolition contractor PP O’Connor has also been building bridges by donating to three worthy local causes. The company, which has been awarded the contract to demolish Milton Pavements, has donated £6,000 to local Christmas appeals as part of the ‘social value’ agreement Wirral Council builds into its contracts.
Three lots of £2000 will go buying toys for the most vulnerable children in the borough, a Christmas dinner and a small gift for young people, aged 16-18, who are leaving the care system, many of whom are without the support of family and friends and to buy equipment for the Hub, a safe space in Birkenhead, where young people can learn life skills. All three were delighted to receive the much-needed donations.
PP O’Connor was awarded the contract to demolish Milton Pavements and to clear the site of the former B&M stores by Wirral Growth Company, the 50:50 joint venture between Wirral Council and national urban regenerator Muse Developments. Agreed as part of the “social value” contract negotiations, PP O’Connor was keen to make the £6000 donation as part of its effort to support the community where it is working.
Its team has been on site since the start of December and the demolition will pave the way for the first phase of an innovative masterplan for the centre of Birkenhead which includes a highly-accessible business district created with top quality, excellent-rated energy-efficient office buildings, set within extensive public open and green space.
Councillor Anita Leech, Chair of the Economy, Regeneration and Development Committee, said, “As you can imagine, £2000 donations to three of our local causes is very welcome. In awarding contracts like this, at Wirral Growth Company we determined at the outset that they should bring additional ‘social value’ to the communities where the work is being carried out. This can be provided in the form of financial, professional or skills-based expertise and the three donations is a credible example of how this ‘social value’ makes a difference to our local communities.”
Aiming to open in January 2021, the “Our Space” Care Leavers Hub will provide a One Stop Shop of support for young people, aged 18-25, to learn life skills including cooking, laundry and managing personal finances. The donation will be used to buy badly-needed equipment.
Part of a national charity, The Christmas Dinner aims to provide an annual communal dinner and gift for young people, aged 18-25. As a result of the pandemic and thanks to the donation, this year food hampers will be delivered to around 50/60 young guests at their homes on Christmas Eve. Those with no family or friends around them will also be provided with a small gift and a traditional dinner to re-heat on Christmas Day.
This year, a number of local initiatives, which would normally raise funds and collect Christmas gifts for the borough’s most vulnerable children, have been badly affected by the pandemic. With a short turnaround time and limited resources, the council has launched its own campaign to raise badly-needed donations in order to buy toys for children in the area. The £2000 is a welcome contribution to this effort.
Eddie Bredenhann, Business Development & Pre Construction Director at PP O’Connor said, “We are pleased to be working alongside Wirral Growth Company on the demolition of Milton Pavements as this represents an exciting first step in the development of the town centre.
“At PP O’Connor, we feel it is important to support those local communities where we are working and when we heard about the ‘Our Space’ Care Leavers Hub, the campaign to collect gifts for vulnerable children and the Christmas Dinner Project, we were delighted to be able to help their vital work. Each of the initiatives is making a real difference to people in this area and we wanted to recognise and contribute to that.”
Mike Horner, Development Director at Muse Developments, added, “Regeneration isn’t just about bricks and mortar, it’s about the Growth Company and our supply chain working together to generate community wealth and create opportunities for local people. These donations to three key organisations will support vital work to help those in need across the Wirral and we’re proud of PP O’Connor’s contribution.”