At Sanctuary we go beyond simply building homes. In the places where we develop, we regenerate neighbourhoods, support community projects plus create jobs and training opportunities across the UK. We do more!
We look to work with partners who can add value to our development programme by providing social, environmental and economic benefits directly to the neighbourhoods where we work, so we ask our contractor partners to sign up to our MORE! programme.
This sees them work with us to donate manpower, resources and equipment to help local community projects and to promise to create local employment and training opportunities.
Read some MORE! community stories below and use the drop down section to discover a bit ‘more’ about our programme.
Sanctuary delivers play area improvements in Unstone
A play area in Chesterfield has received a substantial makeover thanks to £12k funding from Sanctuary. The works included removing old equipment at the Whittington Lane playground in Unstone and replacing it with brand-new items.
Women in Construction Month (8-30 Nov)
At Sanctuary our core values include diversity, ambition and integrity. We firmly believe in equality and fairness for all and promoting our industry as a great one to work in. A career in construction is open to everyone and we’re celebrating some of the women who’ve chosen it as their professional path.
Exciting plans for playtime at Paisley school
A Paisley primary school has received a £10k donation from a local housing developer towards the replacement of its unused outdoor play apparatus.
Sanctuary enhances classroom for Malvern schoolchildren
A Malvern primary school is preparing to welcome its youngest pupils through the doors of a freshly renovated classroom, thanks to a local developer.
Sanctuary signs up for Hedgehog Highways
Sanctuary has pledged to install hedgehog-sized holes in the garden fences of all its new homes, encouraging free movement of local wildlife.
MORE! gives Barnsley volunteers a vibrant break!
Sanctuary’s MORE! programme has come to the aid of a Yorkshire food poverty charity! Together with one of our contractor partners we’ve helped to create a bright new space for volunteers to enjoy a proper, much-needed break. Read all about this (very) vibrant project by clicking below.
Essex school takes a byte out of MORE!
An Essex school has received an ICT boost thanks to Sanctuary Homes and MORE! partner ENGIE. Read all about the fantastic computer hardware donation made to New Rickstones Academy and discover ‘more’ about Sanctuary's new Southfields development.
MORE! Community transport scheme back on the road
A Rochford district community transport scheme received much needed help during the coronavirus pandemic thanks to one of our MORE! contractor partners who are working with us on a Beech Grove Homes development in Essex.
Children in a Scottish town have somewhere to play again thanks to our MORE! partnership programme. Read all about a brand new playground park that was created for local children in Portsoy thanks to the support of one of our partner contractors.
As part of our MORE! programme we also provide funding support to local charities where we build new homes. Historic almshouses in Hockley, Rochford were given a much-need monetary boost via our partnership programme, that allowed residents to finally move back home after a very difficult year.
Sanctuary Homes MORE! scheme delivers knockout support
Sanctuary's partnership programme is once again pleased as punch to support yet another community project. Discover how one of our partner contractors has helped a Sheffield boxing club from being floored, allowing local youngsters to box clever.
Sanctuary Homes deliver festive selection to Chester children
Our Sanctuary Homes construction team working in Blacon, Chester took time out of their redevelopment of The Parade to deliver hundreds of selection boxes to a children’s adventure playground so staff could put together festive packages for local children this Christmas.
Beech Grove Homes Do MORE! For Rayleigh Schoolchildren
A partnership between our sister brand, Beech Grove Homes and one of its contractors has helped hearing impaired pupils at one Essex school and led to two former pupils becoming apprentices. Discover more about how MORE! led to a brand new classroom and employment prospects in Rayleigh, Essex.
Visit to Sanctuary Development Leads to Life-changing Role for Scottish Teenager
Jack visited one of our developments in Scotland as part of an employment programme, arranged by a local charity. While on-site he impressed our contractor partner so much that they offered him a position with them and is now working towards his apprenticeship.
Lifesaving Support to Frating
Sanctuary, and our contractor partner at our Penny Fields development in Frating, Essex have been thanked for helping refurbish a historic local landmark and for providing vital lifesaving kit for the local community. Discover more about our community commitment, including a defibrillator donation!
New Windows for Southend charity
A homeless charity in Southend are benefitting from Sanctuary Homes MORE! programme with the donation of double glazed windows. While working on local development ‘The Westcliffs’ we helped a local charity, replacing 40 windows at accommodation to support people dealing with homelessness.
Sanctuary Homes boost for Worcester Charity
Budding builders, plumbers and electricians are benefitting from the support of Sanctuary and a local charity. As part of our MORE! programme we donated surplus bricks, timber and utilities to The Building Block, as well as external storage for their equipment.
Sanctuary Delivers Energy Efficient Homes
A pilot project from Sanctuary has seen properties in Scotland achieve the highest possible energy efficiency rating! Discover how our MORE! programme is looking to deliver sustainable homes for the future.
Careers Course to Boost Employment Skills for Young People
Young people in Kent benefit from a careers programme designed to help them build new skills and support them into employment. The scheme is aimed at 16 to 25 year olds who are homeless or at risk of homelessness and was the start of a national project under our MORE! programme.
Hamper Donations to Glastonbury Families
Families near to Sanctuary's Kingsfield development in the Somerset town were given a festive treat thanks to one of our partner contractors working with us to give-back to the local community, teaming up with a local charity to spread some festive cheer.
Sanctuary Inspire Schoolchildren
More than 400 pupils at a Worcestershire primary school learned all about the construction industry and building homes for the future alongside Sanctuary Homes. It was part of our MORE! commitment to educate and inspire people into a career in development.
MORE! Brings Sensory Garden to Rayleigh
Sanctuary and its contractor partner look to create a special garden in Essex, designed to be somewhere local families of children with learning disabilities can meet and get support. The sensory garden aims to provide visitors with a variety of therapeutic and sensory experiences.
More about MORE!
Sanctuary requires its contractors to meet specified outputs in relation to the provision of training and employment opportunities, attaining sustainability standards and creating community benefits. These are outlined in contractual documentation and reflect the minimum level which we expect our development partners to attain.
However, we believe that, by working together, we can go much further than this to help add value for the communities where we are working. In delivering our MORE! programme we believe we have an ideal opportunity to create a positive impact in the communities where we operate, and we are keen for our construction contractors to play their part.
You can read some of the commitments we ask our partners to sign up to below.
Development and regeneration are key aspects of our business. Combining material improvements with social, economic and environmental renewal helps to transform neighbourhoods, ensuring that they are places where people want to live and work.
Our MORE! programme presents opportunities to make a real difference to the lives of local residents and businesses, to invest in the communities where we work…to do MORE!
Sanctuary ensures that its development projects deliver not only affordable high quality homes but also create local jobs and training opportunities.
We aim to generate employment in the construction sector by offering apprenticeship training and work experience opportunities to a range of people. We also want our development programme to leave a positive employment legacy by creating job opportunities for local people.
Sanctuary requires its contractors to meet specified outputs in relation to the provision of training and employment opportunities.
We work hard to ensure that equality and diversity are integrated into the way we plan, develop and deliver all our services and we expect our contractors to do the same. We aim to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations with the communities where we work, particularly for those people who could otherwise face inequality or prejudice.
Sanctuary has an equality scheme called Fairness For All. This covers our functions as an employer and a service provider, weaving equality, diversity and human rights into the way we plan, develop and deliver all our services.
Sanctuary aims to make sure people from all backgrounds and walks of life can access any of the opportunities we have on offer. In the past, we have worked with our contractors to target those underrepresented in the construction industry. These have included women, single parents, ex-offenders, people with mental health issues and those not in employment, education or training.
Supporting local businesses in the areas where we operate can make a significant contribution to the local economy.
We encourage our development partners to keep local contractors and suppliers informed about any tendering opportunities and to provide them with any information they may need to tender effectively for work.
We expect our contractors to take steps to support locally-based small and medium-sized enterprises, including ensuring that procurement processes do not place smaller organisations at a disadvantage.
At Sanctuary we take our environmental responsibilities very seriously. The way in which we operate our business impacts on the world around us, so it’s important to play our part by being as sustainable as possible. For new developments, this means building homes which are energy and water efficient and cost effective for our residents to run. It also means minimising our construction site impacts, from preserving site ecology to reducing waste.
Where possible we use green and renewable technologies on our properties. We work with specified suppliers and have put in place additional criteria around the use of certain types of renewable technology. Ensuring that our developments are sustainable forms part of Sanctuary’s long-term view of its responsibilities as an organisation.
