Community

As a local business, with the majority of our staff also living on the Island, we are keen to not only deliver our core services but to also provide our support to the local community.

We do that in a number of ways:

Four people holding a large cheque for £14,000 for Community Action IW

Understanding our community

We have worked with organisations like Isle Access, The Isorropia Foundation, Autism Inclusion Matters (AIM), Age UK Isle of Wight and Alzheimer’s Café Isle of Wight to help our staff understand some of the challenges faced by different groups within our local community. This is so that they can respond to and support people, in an informed way, whether they are working on site or in our help centre.

Developing useful resources

We worked with Age UK Isle of Wight’s Older Persons Steering Group to co-develop a resource pack called ‘Pavements are for People’. This explored some of the common access issues people experience when using pavements and how to report them.

This resource pack can be read or downloaded here

Older lady with walking aid crossing from tactile pavement at a pedestrian crossing housing estate in the background

Making a commitment

Through the Age Friendly Island programme – a global initiative from the World Health Organisation, which was supported locally by Age UK Isle of Wight, we also made a commitment to making improvements to our services, including our letters and website, so they are more accessible to older members of our local community.

Charity fundraising support

Each year our staff fundraise for a local charity as our charity of the year; holding quiz evenings, raffles and other activities to help raise funds for vital work on the Island. Thousands of pounds have been raised this way for charities such as Ability Dogs 4 Young People, Daisy Chains, Home-Start and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance.

Four people holding and pointing at a giant cheque for £4,200 for Yes! Creative Beats CIC

Sponsoring IW Foundation projects

Our staff also volunteer as sponsors to support the grant-giving programme carried out through Island Roads’ charitable foundation – The Isle of Wight Foundation. They give their time and expertise to grant-funded projects in addition to the monetary support involved.

Helping schools

Our staff also take part in primary school talks to help children understand the dangers of roadwork sites and how to navigate these safely. The talks are fun and interactive but deliver serious messages that help to keep children safe. Any schools interested in arranging a talk can contact us by emailing info@islandroads.com.