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October 14, 2025 ESG

Turning Challenge into Opportunity: How GRAHAM Delivered £100k+ Social Impact for Local Communities

The University of Manchester Fallowfield Campus redevelopment will create five distinct neighbourhoods and a central hub, which will consist of 3,300 modern, sustainable student bedspaces, alongside vibrant amenity areas and green spaces. With the demolition of Owens Park Tower complete, we will soon be demolishing the next phase of buildings at the Fallowfield Campus. With preparations underway for this exciting next phase, we were faced with an unexpected challenge where a significant number of loose items and fixtures had been left behind in the existing buildings.

With these items needing to be removed ahead of the building demolition, rather than viewing this as a setback, we recognised the potential to create meaningful value for the local community as part of the University’s wider institutional commitment to social responsibility. By working with a wide range of charities, organisations and individuals, the team were able to ensure that preloved items were rehomed and reused for free, instead of going to waste.

Our project teams worked tirelessly to facilitate safe disconnections, furniture storage, and invited local charities and organisations to the site to arrange collection days for the items. The response from the community was overwhelming! Within days of our outreach, demand exceeded expectations. To manage this, an online booking system was created for organisations to book into a time slot to view and take the desired items away. What was initially planned as a three-day collection period was extended over three weeks to meet the huge level of interest. From sofas and single beds to fridges, freezers, microwaves, tables, chairs, and even shelving systems, every item found a new home where it was needed most.

So far, the initiative has generated £102,640.73 Socio-Economic Return On Investment (SEROI) directly benefitting families, individuals and charities within a 15-mile radius of the site. This figure is continuing to grow with more items of furniture being collected over the upcoming weeks from a range of charity partners.

Partnerships were central to the project’s success. Collaborations included local organisations such as Manchester City Council, NHS Support Services, Manchester MIND, The Mustard Tree, Highway Hope, Sky-light, SAWN, Age Concern UK (Manchester), Merseybank Garden, The Darren Deady Foundation, Improving Round Lives and Fareshare GM, to ensure items were matched quickly with those who needed them most.

Wayne Hurst, Furniture Projects Team Leader at Sky-light, said: “Here at Skylight furniture project we work hard to support as many Stockport customers who are experiencing furniture poverty. Demand will always outstrip supply, and in particular cookers, sofas and fridges have always been a focus for us as these meet people’s essential needs.  The relationship with GRAHAM has provided a much needed boost to our service which will go a long way to providing families with the start they need in their new home here at Stockport Homes and other housing providers around the Stockport area. Through the support from GRAHAM we have already been able to support more than 60 families with cookers, sofas and fridges, and that makes a huge difference in giving someone the opportunity to sustain their tenancy.”

Dr Esther Oludipe, Executive Director at Highway Hope, said: We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to GRAHAM Project Team for a well-organised collection of furniture. The donated furniture we received has allowed us to better support families in need, provide a safe and pleasant space for community gatherings, and strengthen the spirit of hope and care that lies at the heart of our mission. We at Highway Hope are grateful for the donation of the white goods, sofas, and bedroom furniture which have gone and are still going into good use. These goods have allowed us to serve our community with greater dignity and care. Many individuals and families are experiencing a tangible improvement in their daily lives and this has truly made a difference.”

Dr Julian Skyrme, Executive Director for Social Responsibility at University of Manchester, said: “Social responsibility is foundational to our work at The University of Manchester. Through the Fallowfield furniture donations in partnership with GRAHAM we have demonstrated here how operational decisions can create real, lasting benefits for our most local communities. By embedding social responsibility into every aspect of our campus redevelopment, we’re showing that universities can be powerful agents for positive change — locally and beyond.”

Neil McFarlane, GRAHAM Project Director for the University of Manchester Fallowfield Campus project, said: “The University of Manchester Fallowfield Campus project is set to deliver one of the largest student accommodation schemes in Europe. While the scale and ambition of the development are significant, we have never lost sight of the impact this project can have on the local community. Throughout the design development and planning phases, we have actively sought community input and proactively built relationships with local groups and charities. The Fallowfield furniture donation initiative is a powerful example of how, working together with the University and the local community, we can turn challenges into opportunities and support families in need.”

Louise Seddon, Social Impact Manager at GRAHAM, added: “Working on the ground is a real privilege for us. At GRAHAM, ‘delivering lasting impact’ isn’t just a strapline, it’s something we live and breathe. Through our social value approach, we get to work with incredible charities and community groups. Fallowfield was the perfect opportunity to do just that. By creatively reusing unwanted items and giving them new homes, we’ve shown how small actions can make a big difference. Over the life of this project, we are committed to making real change and leaving a legacy that matters.”

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