The Latest News from Blue Sky
Blue Sky, the grounds maintenance company and registered charity that employs only ex-offenders.
Letter from CEO, Mick May
Our social enterprise is now 30 months old, yet it feels like a decade.
In keeping with an organisation of that sort of maturity, a newsletter
for our many partners and stakeholders feels long overdue. So it is with
pleasure that we have compiled this, the first of what we hope will be
a very long series of regular bulletins.
The last three or four months have been characterised by a growth in our capacity. This takes two forms. Firstly we have expanded our footprint into the London Borough of Ealing (see below), and secondly we have added to the number of permanent staff members. This is especially welcome to the existing team, all of whom have given far more than was asked of them to make Blue Sky the force it is today. I would like to welcome all new staff members and to thank all existing staff members.
In the last six months we have been delighted by the levels of support we have received from charitable foundations. Although 60% of our revenue comes from our commercial contracts, we always need additional funding. We are profoundly grateful to the Rank Foundation, the KPMG Foundation, the Mercers’ Company, the Drapers’ Company, the Tudor Trust Fund, LankellyChase Foundation and the Rayne Foundation.
Team Members View
Michael was a Prolific and Priority Offender who came to Blue Sky straight
from prison.
Michael says: “If it wasn’t for Blue Sky I’d be back in prison now – without any doubt. Blue Sky’s given me confidence and a sense of self-worth. I’ve worked with three different supervisors and they’ve all been very helpful if you’ve got problems or if you need help with your work.”
“I’ve learned a lot of new skills which I can use in finding another job and I’ve learned to be part of a team. Now Blue Sky is helping me to get my driving licence. If anyone’s wondering whether to apply to Blue Sky, I’d say ‘go for it. It’s in your best interests and you’ll get a lot from it. And they give you all the help you need to get into full-time employment when you leave”
Contract News
Blue Sky opens for business in Ealing
Blue Sky has begun working in Ealing in partnership with Veolia Environmental
Services (UK) plc, HMP Wormwood Scrubs and Groundwork London. A rehabilitation
programme has been set up by this partnership - offenders are trained
in basic horticultural skills whilst in Wormwood Scrubs prison, then referred
to Blue Sky on a six-month employment contract delivering grounds maintenance
services to Veolia. If they make the grade, some may then have the
chance to move onto permanent employment with Veolia.
The Ealing team is hard at work to improve the cemetery gardens for the people of the London Borough of Ealing.
John*, one of the Blue Sky team members, said, “I’m one of the lucky ones. I waited a long time for this job and now it means I’ve got the chance to make a new start. I’ve got a new baby and I really want to make a go of this.”
Ben Coles, Director, West for Groundwork London is excited by this new venture: “This fits perfectly with the work Groundwork is doing to support vulnerable and hard-to-reach groups, providing them with training and getting them back into work. Given that a job reduces the probability of re-offending by 33-50% and each re-offender costs around £200,000, this is a fantastic investment in people and their future.”
Blue Sky welcomes contacts from employers and contractors who would like to work with them. General Manager, Andrea McCubbin said, “Local authorities tell us that we win the contracts because we can match or improve on the quality available elsewhere.”
* Not his real name
STATISTICS
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Company News
Jill runs faster than Gordon Ramsay to raise £34,000 for Blue Sky
Jill May, wife of Blue Sky’s Chief Executive, ran the Flora London Marathon in May to raise money for Blue Sky. She did incredibly well, completing the marathon with a time of 3 hours 28 minutes, beating Gordon Ramsay and Ben Fogle amongst thousands of others. Jill succeeded in raising over £34,000 in sponsorship money for Blue Sky.
Jill said, "It was a fantastic challenge but strangely I loved every step. And I want to thank the Blue Sky team for coming out to support me - it made a big difference!"
The money given by Jill's sponsors will help Blue Sky to continue its work and take on more ex-offenders in 2008.
Employee News
A day in the life of Steve Finn, National Contracts Manager
What is your typical day at work?
In a typical day, the first thing that I do, at about 7:30am, is to ring all the supervisors to see who has come to work and whether there are any problems. Assuming that all is well, I make my way to the office, although I am constantly on call in case there are any problems. In the office I sort out my emails and have a cup of tea.
During the morning I might have a meeting with prospective contractors or with probation officers. To be honest, my day does not have a particular structure, but in the afternoon, I might make a trip to Gloucester to meet up with the team there, and see how everyone is getting on. I often spend time with the teams, doing odd jobs or covering if one of the supervisors is on holiday.
What is the best thing about working at Blue Sky? The best thing is that every day is different. I never know what is going to happen next.
What is the worst thing about working at Blue Sky? The worst part is when you offer people the chance of employment and they throw it away by not turning up to work or by re-offending.
What are you most proud of at Blue Sky? I am most proud of the whole team here, from the management and supervisors to the ex-offenders, all of whom are working so hard to make Blue Sky run smoothly.
New Employees
Within the last three months, Blue Sky has recruited three new employees, Frank, Fran and Malika.
Frank Hough has joined the team in the new post of Employment Liaison Officer. This has been made possible by the generous funding provided by the Rank Foundation, a grant-giving charitable trust. Frank’s job is to assist team-members to find further employment when their Blue Sky contract ends and to help them develop the skills for the transition into long term employment. Frank says, “I like working at Blue Sky because of the diversity here, and the different challenges that have to be overcome.”
Fran Humphreys has recently started work in the new post of South West Regional Manager, based in Gloucester. This post has been possible due to the funding provided by the KPMG Foundation.
Fran’s job is to build links with Prisons and the Probation Service, local Councils and other agencies that deal with issues around drug and alcohol abuse or housing. Fran says: “Blue Sky is another opportunity to work with offenders to effect change. It is very hands-on and so far no two days have been the same.”
Malika Hamid has a psychology degree and Blue Sky has given her the opportunity to gain more practical HR experience. Malika says: “The best thing about working at Blue Sky is making a difference in society by helping to get ex-offenders into work”.
Registered Company No: 5639379 Charity No: 1118372
Source: “Reducing Re-Offending by Ex-Prisoners” produced by the Social Exclusion Unit in 2002.
I never saw a man that looked with such a wistful eye.
upon that little tent of blue which prisoners call the sky.
'The Ballard of Reading Gaol' by Oscar Wilde
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