Landmarc Support Services (Landmarc) has been shortlisted as a finalist in the UK’s first Social Value Awards for its approach to generating social value from operations across the Ministry of Defence training estate.
Established by the Cabinet Office, the Awards are the first in the UK to recognise and celebrate good practice in commissioning and providing social value.
Working in partnership with the Defence Infrastructure Organisiation (DIO) to manage and operate military training facilities across the UK, Landmarc has been shortlisted in the ‘Promoting and Mainstreaming the Social Value Act’ category; in recognition of a range of initiatives that demonstrate social value over and above its contractual obligations.
Examples include joining forces with Social Enterprise UK (SEUK) to pioneer the UK’s first Social Value Summit in 2013, one year after the Public Services (Social Value) Act was implemented. The event brought together business leaders and campaigners to review the success of the Act and plan for the future.
Here Landmarc launched its first social impact report, demonstrating its positive social, environmental and economic outcomes. These include £90 million Gross Value Added (GVA) and a reinvestment of almost £2 million of profits to fund rural business improvements.
Commenting on the shortlisting, Steve Utley, managing director at Landmarc, said:
“The training estate covers some of the most rural locations in Britain and as such, we rely heavily on the support of the communities in which we work. Applying the correct environmental, economic and social principles to our work on the estate is key to nurturing positive local relationships and during the past few years has seen us deliver a range of initiatives. These have included a scheme to support start-up rural innovators, a rural enterprise hub in Wiltshire and a rural business connector in Northumberland, as well as helping ex-military personnel find employment and hosting business workshops for tenant farmers.
“Employing local people and sourcing products and services from local suppliers as much as possible is also part of our business model and critical to helping sustain a strong rural economy.”
The winners will be announced on February 11th during a ceremony at the Social Value Summit hosted by Interserve and Social Enterprise UK.