Strategic report
Governance
Financial statements
68 OCU Group Annual report and financial statements 2026
Social continued Creating benefits through our social activities
Key achievements continued Volunteering Employees are encouraged to use one volunteering day to support their communities. Accessible volunteering: Through Chapter One, employees provided 30 minutes of weekly reading support to eleven primary school children aged five to eight. Community safety: OCU and Blaengwrach Primary School promoted road safety, including providing high-visibility vests for off-site activities. Literacy and wellbeing: OCU sponsored interactive reading sessions, books and activity packs during Careers Week at Sutton Primary School. Supporting local heritage: With Amey Rail, OCU helped restore a carriage for Nene Valley Heritage Railway’s Railway 200 initiative. Community volunteering: OCU volunteers completed structural, landscaping and conservation work at the Abbey Church in Erdington, Birmingham. Supporting children’s wellbeing: With VMO2, colleagues refurbished sponsored snowflakes for Sheffield Children’s Hospital Charity’s annual display. Local school partnerships: At White Laith Primary School, colleagues supported events and installed a reading shed and wheelchair ramp, alongside seasonal gifts.
Social value delivery Social value continues to be embedded within project delivery across OCU Group. Creating measurable social value: On SSEN’s ED2 framework, OCU delivered more than £4.5m of independently measured value through local employment, skills, apprenticeships, education and community engagement. OCU also mentored students in the Buckinghamshire Green Schools Challenge, combining sustainability projects with careers guidance. Supporting communities in Scotland: RJ McLeod created 200 employment opportunities, delivered 4,430 training hours and 2,158 apprenticeship days, facilitated 251 work‑experience days and held 256 hours of education events. Teams attended more than 20 events in local supply chain development and over £88,500 in charitable and community initiatives. Activities included university mentoring, CSCS and NPORS training, STEM outreach, inclusive work experience, community assets and biodiversity projects. Supporting local skills and employment: For Maryvale Solar Farm in Wellington, New South Wales, recruitment in Dubbo and Mudgee prioritised regional workers. ANZ teams also partnered with Dubbo College’s Try a Trade Day to introduce energy and infrastructure careers. Careers Day Out: ANZ teams supported Shepparton’s hands-on careers expo, connecting young people with employers, training and future industries.
Priorities for the next financial year • increase the number of volunteering days undertaken by colleagues across the Group; • grow the reach and impact of the OCU Foundation through regional engagement, fundraising activities and community partnerships; • strengthen our approach to measuring and reporting social value across all projects and frameworks; • increase support for local schools, food banks, mental health initiatives and community organisations; and • continue to develop partnerships that improve
access to education, culture, wellbeing and employment opportunities within the communities we serve.
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