My name is Paul Broadhead and I have the privilege of both leading on Rolls-Royce’s commitment to the communities in which we live & work around the world and, serving on the board of trustees for Foundation Derbyshire.
Rolls-Royce’s partnership with Foundation Derbyshire (it is a partnership built on long term relationships, two-way engagement and mutual benefit) helps us tackle social issues in our largest community – Derby/Derbyshire. 15,000 of Rolls-Royce’s 54,000 employees live in or around Derby.
We started our endowment fund with a £10,000 donation in 1998. Today 21 years later our fund stands at £376,000 and over those twenty years, this endowment has provided grants totalling £195,000.
There is a risk that we often live our lives in our own bubble, a space that relates to where we work, where we live, who our circle of friends and family are etc, but that may mean we don’t get to see what is happening right amongst us, the challenges people face and the vulnerability many are exposed too. Working with the Foundation has helped me burst that bubble, see where help is most needed in our communities and then have the ability, through the Foundation, to do something positive about it – to help those most in need of our help.
Each year the Foundation’s hugely experienced & passionate team identify current themes and challenges that need our support. From those themes, we then choose the one that resonates most for our employees. In recent years we have supported food banks, prevention of domestic abuse, child well-being and mental health.
The Foundation visits us at Rolls-Royce and presents various bids to us for consideration. This is a humbling time when we get to hear of all the wonderfully passionate people in our communities working incredibly hard to help others. We get to see how £1000-£5000 can make a very real and tangible difference, and you also know that every penny donated will indeed help make that difference.
Paul Broadhead (June 2019), Rolls-Royce: Head of Community Investment & Education Outreach