Group Links
The TREES Group www.thetreesgroup.org.uk
TREES (Training, Regeneration, Education, Employment, Sustainability) Limited is one of the largest social enterprise groups based in the Midlands.
Our vision is to deliver social justice through enterprise and along with running a number of our own social enterprises, TREES promotes and supports social enterprise development through partnership working across the private, public and social enterprise sectors.
It was originally founded to create employment, training opportunities, local services and wealth in deprived communities across the midlands, while supporting community regeneration throughout the region. The TREES group includes several businesses that operate in a range of commercial and social sectors – from conferences, construction to landscaping and grounds maintenance.
TREES helped to launch Newlife Regeneration Construction in 1999. In 2002, the success of this company enabled the group to focus on developing Highpoint – a conference venue on the outskirts of Leicester city centre. The TREES Group has progressively expanded its output over the past ten years and now delivers projects both nationally and internationally. TREES also provides interim management solutions, primarily, to the housing association and social enterprise sectors and supports or is an integral part of a number of social enterprises.
TREES continues to promote and develop social enterprise on both a national and international stage with the delivery of the SPARK programme, a joint venture with the Big Issue Invest and other partners, the establishment of linkages with Social Traders Australia leading to the launch of “The Crunch” (a programme modelled on Spark) and recognition from a number of local and National agencies as an innovative solution provider.
Highpoint is a unique conference venue set within inspiring surroundings. Originally St. Catherine’s Chapel and Convent, the site was purchased by Leicester Housing Association in 1997. After an extensive redevelopment by Newlife, Highpoint opened as a first class conference and training centre in 2002.
Highpoint demonstrates how a 20th century building can retain its original charm and character but evolve, through careful planning and renovation work, to emerge as a versatile 21st century venue with fully integrated facilities for residential learning, meetings and conferences.
The centre offers 11 self-contained conference and training suites to seat from 2 – 130 delegates, complete with audio-visual equipment and balanced air conditioning. All our suites are fitted with high specification audio-visual technology and our in-house technical support team can provide advice and help you get the best from this quality equipment. Highpoint has 28 en-suite bedrooms and is easily accessible from M1, M6 and M69 and Leicester Railway Station. Action Trust www.actiontrust.co.uk
‘Positive procurement changes lives’
Action Trust’s aim is to support homeless people, ex-offenders and veterans transform their lives by providing employment opportunities.
Through this Action Trust will help to break the cycles of offending and homelessness. To do this Action Trust is developing social businesses that provide training, work experience and employment.
The key to Action Trust’s success is the partnership of like-minded organisations that provide vocational training, life and employment skills development, housing support and business management. The Action Trust business model takes individuals on a journey from worklessness to sustainable employment.
The Action Trust businesses include Action Clean, Action Paint, Action Garden and Action Fix. Spark Challenge www.sparkchallenge.org.uk
Spark is a pioneering development and investment programme that aims to inspire organisations to build social enterprises that will prevent and tackle disadvantaged and homelessness using sustainable business models.
Spark is a powerful consortium of top corporates, the government and two leading organisations in the social enterprise field. To date we have supported 33 enterprises which are proving that through provision of initial investment combined with on-going business support, organisations do not need to rely on continuing grants to deliver their social objectives.
Youthbuild UK www.ybuk.org
The TREES Group provides management services to Youthbuild UK
Youthbuild UK promotes projects that empower socially excluded young people to undertake vocational training and build better communities, environments, enterprises, homes and facilities for those in need (including themselves).
The projects are innovative, successful, and for disadvantaged young people, address issues within regeneration programmes. They differ from traditional training and employment programmes by providing focused support and incentives. This ensures that traditionally excluded groups gain access to vocational training that is recognised and provides the skills needed by industry.
Youthbuild UK runs annual awards in conjunction with the National House Builders Council to recognise the achievements of young people. It has links with other Youthbuilding networks in Europe and America where similar projects bridge between social inclusion and the needs of communities and industry. Since 1990, around 140 Youthbuilding projects have assisted nearly 4000 young people in the UK who believed in solving their own employment and housing needs.