Community & Social Value

Jamie McDonald also known as Adventureman, launched the charity Ward Buddies in 2025, which aims to end emotional abandonment for children in hospitals.  Ward Buddies are trained, friendly faces who spend time with young children in hospital when parents or carers need to step away — whether for a few hours or just to grab a breath of fresh air. https://wardbuddies.org/

BPCN are supporting the campaign by creating and distributing play and activity packs to children in long-term hospital care in Birmingham Children’s Hospital.  The packs cannot be funded by the hospital where financial resource is prioritised to care and medical support. Everything BPCN do is, however, supported by the clinical team at BCH through Dr Hollie Richardson – clinical psychologist.

The ‘ward buddy’ who is a trained volunteer, will spend time with the child, providing a friendly face and support. BPCN provides a pack for them to share with the child including games and stories/books, sensory toys and more!

Our volunteers will be spending the day making up the packs and delivering them in October 2026.  Watch this space for how the day went!  For more information or to get involved, please visit http://www.bpcn.org.uk/

Community projects like this deliver real benefits to the surrounding community, and Walsall as a whole, improving green spaces, supporting wildlife, enhancing accessibility, and creating welcoming environments.

We thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the team benefited from fresh air, physical activity, teamwork, skill development, stronger community connections, and a genuine sense of pride in making a visible difference locally. We look forward to the next time!

The new, unopened bedding will go to the Young People who come to St Basils for emergency accommodation. The bedding is theirs at that point and remains with them the whole time they’re with St Basils – and beyond.

We are scheduled to visit the charity to see firsthand how our donation has made a difference and to also discuss ways in which we are able to support them with work experience and or job opportunities. To view more information on the great work St Basils do, visit https://stbasils.org.uk/ 

Art Cleaning are proud to have pledged our support to local homeless charity SIFA Fireside in Birmingham.  Their Building Employability project is being developed for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) currently working in the West Midlands, who are socially invested in increasing employment opportunities for people who have experienced homelessness or exploitation.

After visiting the centre for ourselves and witnessing the vital support they offer we were committed to becoming an Employability partner and discussed the ways in which we could provide job opportunities to their work ready clients.  We are delighted to have been able to offer a work placement already and are excited about continuing the journey working closely with SIFA Fireside’s specialist Resettlement Team, and using the Work It Out employment model to offer further clients employment opportunities and training within our business.

To find out more please visit:https://www.sifafireside.co.uk/pages/301-building-employability

We are proud to announce our support to local charitable organisation Base 25 based in Wolverhampton.

Base 25 works with around 9,000 young people aged 11-25 each year, offering counselling and a daily drop-in service and working with young people and families who have been affected by child sexual exploitation, domestic violence and gangs. Their services include

• Anger Management
• Counselling
• Daily Drop In
• Young People & CSE
• Young people & Domestic Abuse
• Young People & Gangs
• Reducing Harmful Sexualised Behaviour

Our Director Jodie, sadly lost her mother, Trisha, in August 2020 after a courageous battle with cancer.    Originally coming from Wolverhampton and her parents still living their,  Jodie and her family wanted donations, in lieu of flowers, to be given to a local charity.  Base 25 was the chosen charity and as a company we wanted to further support them in memory of Trisha.

To that end we are delighted to be able to offer work experience and apprenticeships to individuals whom they feel will benefit.  We are highly committed to supporting them and to help give them the opportunity to make positive changes within their lives.

For more information on Base 25, please visit https://youthlink.btck.co.uk/