Inspiring Water Resilient Communities
1 May 2024
Following several months of collaborative community support, delivered by colleagues across the company, Sion Griffiths, Education & Community Manager at Dwr Cymru, reflects on the impact of Water Resilient Communities Project in Newport, which aims to maximise support communities, beyond ‘spades in the ground’.
How does the Water Resilient Communities Project approach make a difference?
Our Water Resilient Communities Project focuses on a targeted, integrated, and hands-on, approach that really gets the community involved. We're not just working for the community; we're working with them. We've delivered a plan that’s all about embracing our company values, working with others, and understanding local challenges. This ranges from providing water efficiency support to helping with customer debt, delivering education sessions to supporting jobseekers. We’re in the community seeking to make a real difference, where it matters the most to residents. This approach doesn't just help our customers—it makes our own team feel like they’re part of something bigger. It's about doing more together and making small positive changes that will impact future generations.
Tell us about its impact.
How does the project support customers that are in debt, but are less willing to talk about it?
For us, we took our debt advisors out of the call centre and into the community centre. The result?
“I’m really nervous on the phone. I just came down, and the gentleman has helped me out. I’m just trying to sort my life out. As long as I keep up with my new tariff payment, the arrears will be written off.”
How does the project help inspire future generations?
For us, it involves taking our education team into classrooms to deliver bespoke, practical, hands-on workshops that focus on a breadth of skills and knowledge. The result?
“Using those little microscopes, I looked at a dragonfly – it had a really long tail and big eyes!”
How does the project raise aspirations, and tackle unemployment?
For us, it involves working with work coaches from the local job centres that lead to real opportunities within the company. The result?
“I have much more knowledge to be able to apply for a job.”
What is significant about this project?
Beyond its’ place-based, integrated approach, this project recognises that turning opportunities into actions involves proactively working with others. Over twenty groups and organisations were involved in the project - from community centres to housing associations, homeless centres to schools. We’ve also worked in partnership with Grow Social Capital to establish a values-led approach to drive our thinking, as well as with the Co-Production Network for Wales, allowing us to explore new ways to go beyond traditional engagement. This really meant something at Eden Gate Centre in Newport, where we focused more on a ‘doing with’ approach and less on ‘doing for’, by working with the centre deciding on the content of their own literacy support programme.
What were the outcomes?
The aim of our project is about making genuine and meaningful differences, and the learning that we can take from that, in everything we do.
Our vulnerable customer and debt teams orchestrated community van roadshows, facilitated hundreds of face-to-face account reviews, reached out to thousands of customers, and supported many who were previously disengaged.
The Cartref Water Efficiency team, distributed thousands of water-saving devices in the area, and visited hundreds of properties, whilst our Waste Network teams worked proactively to intervene and remove obstructions for our sewers.
Our Careers & Employability work supported local jobseekers. In a pre-screening event held at the local Jobcentre Plus, some attendees on to gain employment with the company. In the meantime, our educational outreach in schools across the project area involved almost 5,000 pupils.
What are the main take-aways from the project?
The pioneering, purposeful, and proactive work of the project demonstrates an exemplar model of responsible corporate partnerships that may benefit others.
For more information on the outcomes, case studies and learning from this project in Newport, click here.