Excellence in Business Awards 2011: KC sends a message of pride in its local community

KC, which provides communications services to more than 100,000 businesses and households in Hull and East Yorkshire, launched its KC in the Community programme in 2010.

From January to December 2010, through the programme, KC supported over 80 local organisations, committed more than £540,000 in funding and over 1,700 KC employee “community hours” were donated.

At the heart of the programme are two main aims: to inspire local young people to achieve their full potential and to get involved in the activities that matter most to the local community.

The firm does this by working with local volunteers, charities, community groups, schools and other businesses. It has also fostered successful partnerships with projects and programmes such as Hull Children’s University (HCU). HCU is a study programme that provides inspiring learning experiences for young people. As well as funding a full-time post at HCU to help it to become self-sustaining, KC provides employee mentors for the programme and has donated a city centre building to give HCU a fully ICT-equipped “Learning Zone”.

KC has also partnered with the BITC “Cares” employee volunteering programme, funding a full-time business development post. This has encouraged more local organisations to get involved, and since the partnership began, over 300 volunteers have taken part in Cares challenges, resulting in 2,298 hours of volunteering for 92 community groups.

Meanwhile, KC also supports the Cat Zero youth programme, which helps prepare young people not in education, employment or training for the world of work, using sailing as a focus. KC provides employee mentors and work placements for the young people taking part in the programme and works with the Cat Zero team to encourage other businesses to give its support.

As well as these partnerships, through KC in the Community, the company has supported dozens of other good causes.

It has sponsored two young Olympic hopefuls; worked with both of Hull’s rugby league teams to encourage greater participation in sport; supported Humberside Police’s Lifestyle and Rock Challenge programmes; and donated 22 laptops to The Deep’s Learning Zone.

To help stimulate the local economy, KC is soon to launch “KC Invest”, which will provide £300,000 in feasibility grants and start-up loan financing to businesses in the creative, digital, media and technology sector in the region.

It is also donating £20,000 per year for the next three years to the Youth Enterprise Bank to provide grants of up to £1,000 to young entrepreneurs.

KC’s People to be Proud scheme recognises employees who go above and beyond their job role. To mark the first year of the KC in the Community programme, it introduced a specific KC Community Award to recognise employees for their volunteering efforts.

After receiving the award, Anna Millar, KC’s community relations manager, said: “It’s fantastic. It’s recognition for all the community partners we work with, all the people that make our community what it is.

“We have been in Hull for 107 years and we should be giving something back.”

On the future, she added: “We want to be here next year. We want to be winning next year. And we want to be able to say that we have supported more community groups.”

The judges said the company is a great example of business and the community working hand in hand to improve the overall environment.

[email protected]