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Sodexo and Bruntwood SciTech, a client of Sodexo’s Corporate Services division, hosted a celebration day on 17 January to mark the success of its Change Please Academy at Manchester Science Park.
Change Please is an award-winning social enterprise that aims to end homelessness through the power of employment and great tasting coffee. By reinvesting 100 per cent of its profits into training individuals as baristas, providing them with housing, therapy and onward employment opportunities, Change Please has demonstrated a tangible impact on communities.
Sodexo partnered with Change Please in 2017 and today its coffee is served at a multitude of Sodexo client sites.
In April 2023 Sodexo and Bruntwood SciTech launched the Change Please Academy at Manchester Science Park. Seven individuals from the local community, experiencing homelessness, are presently on placement, or have completed their training as baristas through the academy.
The celebration day event showcased the achievements of the seven individuals who have participated in the programme, providing them with the skills, confidence and support to transform their lives. Graduates and partners, including Sodexo UK & Ireland’s Director of Social Impact, Angela Halliday, also shared powerful stories, highlighting the programme’s success in creating meaningful change.
The success of the Manchester academy has inspired Bruntwood SciTech and Change Please to explore opportunities to replicate the model at other sites, furthering its commitment to empowering local communities.
Bethany Adam, Head of Purpose and Impact for Bruntwood SciTech, said: “It’s been fantastic to see the Change Please Academy going from strength to strength at Manchester Science Park. The programme now supports local people into employment, perfectly aligning Bruntwood SciTech’s commitment to supporting local communities, socially and economically. Our team is thrilled to be involved in a project with such a positive impact.”
Ken Love, Managing Director of Change Please, commented: “This celebration highlights the incredible impact the Change Please Academy has had on individuals’ lives. At Manchester Science Park, we’ve seen people regain their confidence, develop valuable skills, and take the first steps toward a brighter future. This partnership with Sodexo and Bruntwood SciTech is a shining example of how collaboration can create meaningful change, and we’re excited about the potential to replicate this success at other sites across the UK.”
Angela Halliday, Director of Social Impact, Sodexo UK & Ireland added: “We are delighted to see the positive impact of the Change Please Academy at Bruntwood SciTech’s Manchester Science Park. As a purpose led business, we are proud to work with Change Please and support it in its mission to tackle homelessness through providing meaningful employment opportunities and positively contributing to society and improving the communities in which we live and work.”
FMJ has partnered with Watco to deliver a webinar on Thursday 30th January where we will be grilling a panel of experts on how facilities managers can maintain a safe workplace while balancing shrinking budgets.
The webinar follows the Lifting the Lid report series that the industrial paint and repair products specialist has been developing over the past few years based on research conducted with FMs across the UK. The research explored core responsibilities of the FM role, including how they have evolved in the past decade, and the associated challenges to manage.
Watco’s Sales Director and key contributor to the reports, Chris Budd, will be joined by a panel of experts including Phil Pinnington, Head of Audit & Consultancy at the British Safety Council, Nick Bray, Head of HSEQ, ISS UK and Ireland and Jenni Gallop, Director of Estates and Facilities at Provide Community.
With decades of combined experience in the introduction and management of health and safety in complex, demanding environments, the panel will provide the audience with recommendations broken down into steps that can be introduced immediately.
The panel will discuss the research data from FMs across the UK, the evidence they have seen of those experiences across industries and their first-hand recommendations on how to manage those challenges and ease the pressure.
Click here to sign up for the webinar.
