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Strategic report
OCU Group | Annual report and financial statements 2025
Governance
Financial statements
Creating benefits through our social activities Social
Be a responsible business
The OCU Foundation: Established in 2023, the OCU Foundation held its inaugural Charity Dinner at the Science and Industry Museum in Manchester, raising £35,000 for our charity partner the Teenage Cancer Trust. The event was a resounding success with dinner, drinks, entertainment, auctions and more. It was a powerful opportunity to raise money and awareness of the incredible work the trust does every day, supporting young people with cancer across the UK. The OCU Foundation also offers a hardship fund which provides assistance where it makes a material difference to a member of our team and their family. In addition, the OCU Foundation and the Group provide a range of charity and community donations. London Marathon: We are proud to encourage our employees to support our foundation. This year, two of our dedicated colleagues have achieved an incredible milestone by raising £6,900 for our partner charity, the Teenage Cancer Trust. Annual golf day: Some of our teams came together for their fundraising annual golf day and collectively raised over £6,500 for the Teenage Cancer Trust. OCU Pink Ladies: OCU team members from our Manchester and Wigan offices completed the Race for Life ‘Pretty Muddy’ event, a 5k muddy obstacle course, raising £3,945 for Cancer Research UK. Macmillan: With the support of 17 OCU locations who hosted coffee mornings, we raised over £2,700 for Macmillan Cancer Support.
The Hallé Orchestra: OCU Group is now a major sponsor for The Hallé – one of the UK’s most distinguished symphony orchestras with a rich legacy dating back to 1858. Sponsoring The Hallé offers OCU a unique opportunity to align with a cultural institution that combines world-class music with impactful social initiatives. Recycling IT equipment: OCU Group continues to work with SE Recycling to responsibly dispose of our end-of-life IT equipment. This year we have raised over £500 for the OCU Foundation. Supporting community children: For three years in a row, OCU has proudly supported the Cash for Kids ‘Mission Christmas’ campaign, Greater Manchester and this Christmas we donated over £7,000 worth of gifts to Mission Christmas. Several employees used their volunteering days to help pick and pack gifts for charity. In addition, from Taunton in Somerset to Wythenshawe in Greater Manchester, our colleagues donated over 300 Easter eggs to disadvantaged groups. Goals for the next financial year • Increase the number of volunteering days undertaken by our people. • Maintain our Real Living Wage accreditation by increasing wages annually in line with the Real Living Wage Foundation requirements. • Report on and reduce annually our gender pay gap in line with our action plan.
One of OCU Group’s core values is ‘ Making a Positive Impact ’. In these times of economic uncertainty and reduced public funding, it’s more crucial than ever to embody this value. We must provide support to those who are most vulnerable and make sure that we continue to treat our people and supply chain fairly. This year we have stepped up our activities, raising money and offering our time to support those less fortunate than ourselves through our volunteering days. Key achievements Real Living Wage employer: We continue to be an accredited Real Living Wage employer, ensuring our employees can earn a wage which is enough to live on and meet everyday needs. We are committed to ensuring 100% of our employees are paid over and above the National Living Wage set by the UK Government. Gender pay gap: We have conducted our second gender pay gap analysis, exceeding our statutory requirements by including all FY24 OCU Group entities. This comprehensive approach provides us with full transparency and empowers us to drive meaningful change. Our commitment to significantly improving our gender pay statistics is unwavering. We anticipate that achieving measurable improvements in these areas will be a three-year journey.
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