Social
Value
Committed to improving the community, economy and environment where we live and work. Building across Britain since 1955.
Our Social Value Work
The first six months of 2026 in numbers: £32,999 invested in training our workforce, 7 work experience placements with 2 already leading to employment, £28,139 contributed to local clubs, colleges and charities, and 99.73% of our waste diverted from landfill.
Building more than buildings, in the communities we call home.
The unveiling marks an important step in bringing new life to the Town Hall while celebrating the heritage and character that make it such an important part of Earlestown’s identity. The date stone will stand as a lasting reminder of the restoration works and the collective effort to preserve this much-loved building for future generations.
Thank you to everyone involved in the project and to the Mayor for joining us to mark this special occasion.
Working closely with The Cumbrian Clock Company, we have carefully restored the original clock mechanism, preserving the historic engineering while ensuring it continues to keep accurate time for years to come.
Bringing this important feature of the building back to life has been a key milestone in the refurbishment of Earlestown Town Hall, and it’s fantastic to see – and hear – the tower working again.
Mike Smith, project manager at HH Smith & Sons, said: “Restoring the clock tower has been one of the most rewarding parts of the project for our team. The level of care and craftsmanship required to carefully repair and reinstate such a historic feature has been significant, and hearing the bells ring again during testing is a proud moment for everyone involved.”
“It’s a reminder that this refurbishment is not just about construction work – it’s about preserving an important landmark and helping return Earlestown Town Hall to the heart of the community for generations to come.”
More updates on the restoration project coming soon as works continue across the building.”
It’s been a pleasure having Sinthujan on site, and we’re proud of the professionalism and enthusiasm he brought to every task.
We’re grateful for the contributions he made to our operations and team culture and wish him all the best as he continues his journey in the construction industry.
Our team recently had the honour of presenting a £2,000 donation to St John the Baptist Church in Earlestown to help fuel the vital services they provide, from warm spaces and food support to community groups. As a family-run business rooted in the places we build, it was a privilege to give back during this exciting regeneration journey.
“As a family-run business, we believe strongly in supporting the communities where we work. Earlestown Town Hall is a special building with huge local significance, and we wanted to mark our involvement in its restoration by supporting a church that does so much good for local people. We’re pleased to make this donation and to play our part in helping the community during this period.” – Mike Smith
They explored the rich history of the building whilst also getting a first look at the exciting restoration and remodelling works currently taking place.
It was a fantastic opportunity to celebrate the building’s past while sharing the vision for its future.
Petrus are a charity that provide support to people who are homeless or in housing need, they offer a safe environment where people can develop their skills and independence to empower change.
It’s a privilege to play a small part in a project which will help service users come together, grow and create a welcoming space for all.
Take a look at our brochure to see what we’ve accomplished in the first half of 2025.
We’re proud of our progress so far, and we look forward to sharing our full-year results at the end of the year!
”I have today been able to purchase 5 new tables for our Basement room which is used to support Young Carers through activities and group work. Your donation has really helped us on our way to make some improvements to this space. Having a new set of larger, matching tables will make a massive difference and allow for more capacity for young carers to come together.”
Last week we are welcomed two new work experience candidates to join our team at the Bury College site, they will be on site for the next 4 weeks as part of their introduction to construction course provided by the Construction Skills Centre.
He aims to become an electrician, but he’s also intrigued by the prospect of joinery.
- Two joinery and carpentry apprentices
- Two bricklaying apprentices
- One plastering apprentice
- One groundworks apprentice
We can’t wait to see how they contribute to our projects and grow in their respective trades.
Join us in celebrating this exciting addition to our team!
“Works included building new planting stations, new composting system and much needed repairs and revamps to the poly tunnel and the potting shed roof. The works were very well received and the lads enjoyed working in such a pleasant setting”Padraig O’Neill // Site Manager
We were excited to provide a tour to the current level 1 construction students from Bury College. Mike Smith and Gareth from Kenmac Associates explained all the elements of works involved at this current stage including the demolition of the existing hair and beauty building, structural alterations to form new external windows & doors and partition installation.
The volunteer group have taken to the training scheme really well, and in the picture below, the group can be see working with Jenny and Heritage Conservation Joinery Specialist Tim Phelps. Tim was brought in to train the group in historic joinery restoration, and he commented that he was surprised at how quickly they had taken his training onboard, and how naturally they had taken to the process.
Great to welcome so many new faces onto the site and give them the tour of all the specialist trades on site.
We teamed up with local painting and decorating company Paint Saints and donated our time into sprucing up Springhill Hospice in Rochdale. Love the colour, great work Paint Saints!
Juan Crous and Ollie Glasse sat down with 10 of the students to discuss opportunities for Plastering, Brickwork and Joinery. The day was valuable in giving some of their full-time students an experience of a real interview as they look to source an apprenticeship this summer.
Held at Tameside college, students from various colleges across Greater Manchester took part.
Bernadette Tatton from our office visited the event and awarded some prizes to the talented students.
An absolutely brilliant event bringing the community together.
We recently opened our Rochdale Town Hall site on a weekend to facilitate high level training by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service. Crews from both Rochdale and nearby Littleborough benefitted from being able to carry out rope rescues, safe working at height climbs up the scaffolding, and off-site ladder pitches. The crew manager from Rochdale Red Watch, thanked HH Smith for going out of their way to help with the invaluable training which many of his crew have never had the chance to undertake.
One member of the course, who was very nervous about joining the programme, thoroughly enjoyed her time onsite and her love for history and historical research shone through. Not only was she able to develop her skills and delve deeper into aspects of local history of the Town Hall and where she lives in Middleton, but she spoke at the graduation presentation of how the course had massively helped her with her mental health. She is now continuing to put her experience into practice and is volunteering with conservation, research, and documentation teams
The students, who have all recently completed Level 2 in Art at college, have been employed on a 12–16-week placement which will run until most of them begin University later this year. Each student is working alongside a mentor from Hirst Conservation, and all are enjoying working on the restoration of a majestic building that many live around the corner from.
It’s a fantastic paid opportunity for young members of the local community to gain valuable work experience for their CV’s, not just working on a Grade 1 listed building, but also working with internationally renowned Hirst Conservation.
Another hard hat tour took place this month with visitors enjoying an hour-long tour of the construction and conservation works that are currently taking place at Rochdale Town Hall. The feedback received from the visitors was excellent with many amazed at the amount of work that has already taken place onsite, and everybody said they cannot wait to see the results