Importance Of Social Sustainability At Blaze Signs
Responsibility and sustainability are two of our businesses core values. These terms extend further than the typical connotations of environmental sustainability to include our impact, both positive and negative, on people. Every business affects people, whether it’s their employees, customers, suppliers, or the individuals in the local community of which the business operates. It is our responsibility to ensure that we have a net positive impact on all these stakeholders, ensuring that we are giving back to the people and communities that allow us to survive and thrive.
In this article, we want to break down some of the work we carried out during the course of 2022, which show the range of the work we’re happy to provide for our local, national and international neighbours.
Ukraine Supply Donations
At the onset of the war in Ukraine, a humanitarian crisis quickly unfolded for the millions of innocent civilians who were trying to flee the conflict. In response to this, the people of Blaze Signs collected and donated vital supplies to aid the people of Ukraine in their crisis.
Nappies, baby formula, sleeping bags, baby bottles and many more vital supplies were donated by the many generous members of the Blaze Team. These supplies were delivered to a local school in Thanet, Chatham & Clarendon Grammar School, which aided in the donation and supply of items.
Christmas Jumper Day
The Blaze Team participated in Christmas Jumper Day, a global fundraising event taking place on the 8th of December. We encouraged everyone to wear festive sweaters to work and donate to the charity, Thanet Early Years Project, which is a small charitable organisation established in 1987 who specialise in offering good quality childcare and education to children under the age of 5 years. Their website says the following; “Our aim is to provide services to children and families in order to afford all children the opportunity to reach their full potential and improve their outcomes. As a registered charity, Thanet Early Years project has a board of Trustees, all of whom are volunteers.”
The Blaze Team embraced the holiday spirit and generously donated to the cause. In total, we were able to raise £300 for TEYP, which will go towards improving the lives of children living in the local area.
Christmas Jumper Day is a fun and easy way for businesses to give back to their communities and make a positive impact on the world. By getting involved, you helped spread holiday cheer while also supporting important causes at the same time.
Liberator Plaque
Overlooking the Westgate Bay and the Westgate Esplanade Walking Trail, this memorial is located on the northern end of the town – Westgate-on-Sea. The site itself is a memorial to the two American B-24 Liberators that crash in Westgate-on-Sea and the nearby town of Margate.
Blaze Signs offered their services to the Westgate-on-Sea Town Council to reinvigorate the memorial plaque, with a new sign provided free-of-charge to the local community. The new plaque has transformed the memorial, paying respects to the heroes who fought during the Second World War, and giving life to the remembrance of their sacrifice for years to come.
World Prematurity Day
World Prematurity Day, which is observed on 17 November each year to raise awareness of preterm birth and the concerns of preterm babies and their families worldwide. Approximately 15 million babies are born preterm each year, accounting for about one in 10 of all babies born worldwide.
In 2022, a member of the Blaze Team – Michaela Maher – collected donations for the Charity “BLISS,” a UK-based charity for babies born premature or sick. Bliss supports the families of babies in neonatal care and works with health professionals to provide training and improve care for babies.
Thanks to the efforts of Michaela, we were able to raise over £100.00 for the charity, our donations will help them achieve their vision that every baby born premature or sick in the UK has the best chance of survival and quality of life.
You can learn more and donate to Bliss in the link below.
Foodbank Signage Upgrade In Collaboration With Sainsbury’s
In the second half of 2022, we worked together with our long-standing client Sainsbury’s as well as their other contractors to support a food bank in Bristol. The Blaze Team supplied brand new signage for the front of the building, giving it the attention it deserves.
The organisation, Ignite Life, believes that every young person deserves the right to equal access to the support they need to thrive, which are values that Blaze Signs wholeheartedly agrees with. Their website continues; “At Ignite Life, we support young people and families by providing holistic care tailored to individual needs. Ignite focuses on relieving the needs of disadvantaged and/or marginalised young people through supporting with wellbeing and mental health, educational support, food poverty, family support, access to sport and other life changing opportunities and addressing economic inequalities.” You can read more about this incredible organisation in the link below, which will take you to their website.
By providing quality new signage for the organisation free of any charge, Ignite Life can use the funds that would have otherwise been spent on signage maintenance and repair to further their admirable mission.
https://www.ignite-life.co.uk/
2023 Goals
This year, we aim to continue our current trajectory of support for local communities, schools, national charities and other honourable causes across the globe. These initiatives and efforts from the Blaze Team can make a world of difference, and when every one of us put a little in, it snowballs to a huge change.
We want to ensure our contributions to society are consistent and meaningful. Additionally, we will continue to share the work we are carrying out and what kind of impact it can have.
