We used this to put together Community Investment Plans (CIPs), which share how we will support and work with the community and partner organisations to make things better.
It was clear that there were three main areas of focus for our communities. We call them pillars, as they are the core of our CIPs and support everything that we do. The three pillars are community empowerment, employment, and health and wellbeing.
Every household in our CIP areas received a summary of their investment plan in January 2021. While the CIPs highlight what we will do based on what communities told us they wanted, we will continuously consult with customers, organisations and colleagues to review them and adapt what we support and deliver. We know our communities will continue to change and evolve, and we will work to make sure our plans reflect this.
Covid-19 meant circumstances for our communities had changed drastically since we created the CIPs. So, we invited customers to virtual ‘coffee and chat’ sessions, an informal way for them to share their opinions. They told us what had changed for them because of the pandemic, and what they thought we could do to support them. This changed the focus of projects.
And we’re not stopping there. Consulting with our customers, partners, colleagues and local organisations is key to our approach to our community investment work. We are continuing to build partnerships with local organisations, so we can respond to the changing needs of the community, facilitate conversations, and feedback what our customers are saying to us. As restrictions ease, our teams will be back in the community, delivering much needed face-to-face support.
