Excellence in Championing Equality and Diversity

• Project name: A community of many voice at Bute Street
• Lead organisation: JG Hale Group Ltd
• Partner organisation: Cardiff Council

Statement of support

Hales’ Bute Street development for Cardiff Council, comprises of the construction of 45nr apartments for Over 55’s, built across a six-storey block, with a community space to the ground floor, and underground carpark.

Butetown is renowned for being a close-knit, multicultural, vibrant community; blending an array of cultures and ethnicities, with South Wales Islamic Centre situated just next door to site. Hale Social Value Manager, Dionne, therefore prioritised encompassing the many voices and thoughts of the local community surrounding the project; into the planning of all social value activities' maximising the socio-economic legacy associated with project.

All Social Value Funding was ringfenced for the immediate Butetown vicinity; maximising local investment into the foundational circular economy, with a key focus on stakeholders who often miss out on engagement or funding opportunities. Every decision regarding social value, was made with the community at its’ heart; to complement the area’s existing placemaking. Engagement centred around community need, rather than assumed impact, including:

• Local arts and culture; celebrating the diverse culture of Butetown.
• Targeted Recruitment and Training for multicultural groups, and those the furthest removed from employment.
• Homelessness (with a particular focus on food poverty).
• Inclusive health and wellbeing (particularly for the local BAME community). 

When complete, residents from the existing Nelson House (adjoining the development), will be decanted into the new development. Dionne has undertaken extensive community consultations with local area counsellors, along with the Nelson House Residents; to inspire the design of the build. The resident have even designed a mural for the building’s frontage, through a collaboration with Tanio Arts Cymru.

To enhance placemaking, Dionne worked with underrepresented individuals and groups within the area, including:

• Employability opportunities for ethnic minority groups: EYST, and Welsh Refugee Council 
• Reducing local crime: VAWDASV (Violence Against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence)
• Supporting the city wide food partnership: Butetown Community Centre Food Pantry, EYST Young Person Cooking Programme (BAME charity), Butetown Community Centre foodbank. 
• Community health and wellbeing initiatives: St Patricks Primary (2B Enterprising collaboration), Fantastic Gymnastics (Muslim gymnastics group / collaborative project with Tanio Cymru).
• Support for older, vulnerable, and disabled members of the community: Salvation Army (Bus Project), Butetown Pavillion (Welcome Warm Space), Cardiff Prison Service, Youth Offenders, Bute Town Community Centre, Bute Town Pavillion, and Tredegarville Primary (Shape My Street Project). 
• Initiatives to target homelessness: Huggard Critical Intervention Hub, Cardiff Youth Service, and The Wallich. 

Testimonials: Liz Akker, Senior Policy Officer, SAFE Partnership:

“Thanks to generous sponsorship from Hale Construction and South Wales Police, SAFE were able to provide 160 free spaces for practitioners working with children and families, along with Women’s Aid, Plan International, and the Welsh Government, for our Time to Change Conference. The event focused upon how we can work together to preventing gender based violence against women and girls.

The event took place at the beautiful Temple of Peace, an Art Deco building in the centre of Cathays with catering provided by a team from Oasis, a local charity supporting asylum seekers and refugees.”

Survey responses from pupils participating in the Shape My Street, Shape My Future Project: 

• All 22 pupils reported that they had learned something about construction.
• “My favourite part was when we made some of the special places that we need in our town because it was fun and interesting.” 
• "I liked making decisions around what we are putting into the houses in our town”. 

Outcomes and achievements

• 21 apprenticeship opportunities, spanning 875 weeks (from nearby Cardiff and Vale College).
• Funding support for The Wallich’s pilot study in Butetown for weekly drop-in support and referrals for homeless individuals.
• Collaborating with Tanio Cyrmu; allowing the residents of Nelson House (decanting into the completed Bute Street scheme), to create a mural for the project, encapsulating their vibrant community.
• Canva Workshops for ethnic minority women, supporting candidates identified from the councils Small and New Business advisor.
• Halal food donations, as typical donations were not Halal, so inaccessible for a large proportion of service users (of Muslim Faith).
• 50 hours volunteered for college/ school visits, a standout project being “Shape my Street”, Block Play sessions with St Patricks Primary and 2B Enterprising.
• £28,000 of social value reinvestment directly into the Butetown community.
• 60 hours invested into employability (job fairs, site visits from Into Work Service, People Plus, Kings Trust and ITEC), along with mock interviews.
• £1,200 was allocated to EYST’s pilot cooking project for young Muslims; allowing them to learn to cook nutritious Halal meals from cupboard stables and food parcels.
• 13 hours of expert support were provided to local BAME MSME’s, via Canva workshops supporting eight women (each second language English). 

• Project name: Belonging Without Fear - Creating Safer, More Inclusive Communities
• Lead organisation: Codi Group

Statement of support

FREDIE (Fairness, Respect, Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Engagement) is Codi's overarching framework for creating a culture where everyone can thrive. Going beyond traditional equality and diversity, it provides a set of principles that shape our decisions, services and behaviours, ensuring fairness, belonging and inclusion are embedded across everything we do.

The Codi ‘FREDIE Steering Group’ is proud to submit this nomination for its leadership in developing and delivering a comprehensive Hate Crime Action Plan, culminating in the achievement and renewal of the Hate Crime Trustmark.

This work exemplifies how equality and diversity can move beyond policy and intention to create meaningful, lasting change for colleagues, customers and communities.

The project began with a recognition that, while Codi had previously secured the Trustmark, organisational change and evolving community needs required a renewed and more ambitious approach. Rather than treating the Trustmark as a compliance exercise, the FREDIE Steering Group used it as an opportunity to review how hate crime was identified, reported, responded to and prevented across the organisation. The group brought together colleagues from multiple disciplines, alongside external expertise from Victim Support, to undertake a comprehensive review of existing arrangements and develop an enhanced action plan. 

The review highlighted a number of areas for improvement, including reporting processes, awareness and training, and opportunities to better support victims and challenge perpetrators. In response, the Steering Group developed a programme of actions designed to embed a culture of zero tolerance towards hate crime and discrimination. 

What makes this initiative stand out is the way it connects equality, diversity and inclusion directly to the lived experiences of customers and communities. Housing providers have a unique role in creating places where people feel safe, valued and respected. By tackling hate crime proactively, Codi has strengthened its ability to support people who may be targeted because of their race, religion, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or other protected characteristics. The project has reinforced the message that everyone deserves to feel safe in their home and community and that hate has no place within the organisation or the communities it serves. 

The FREDIE Steering Group also demonstrated genuine leadership by ensuring the work extended beyond specialist teams. It championed mandatory blended learning approach, including the development of an eLearning module and toolbox talk, alongside communications and awareness-raising activity that equipped colleagues across the organisation with the confidence and knowledge to recognise, report and respond to hate-related incidents. This helped embed responsibility for inclusion and community safety across the organisation rather than within a single service area. 

Importantly, the project has influenced wider organisational practice. It prompted a review of how hate incidents are identified, monitored and escalated, strengthened cross-functional collaboration, and created clearer pathways for victims to access support. The renewed Trustmark provides independent recognition of this commitment and demonstrates that Codi is taking tangible action to create safer and more inclusive communities. 

The project has also demonstrated sector leadership by treating hate crime as both a community safety and equality issue. Through partnership with Victim Support, renewal of hate crime awareness across frontline services, Codi has shown how housing providers can move beyond compliance and take meaningful action to create inclusive communities. The resulting framework offers a practical model that can be replicated across the sector to improve support for victims and challenge discrimination at its source.

Through this project, the FREDIE Steering Group has translated organisational values into action. The result is safer communities and a stronger culture of inclusion, demonstrating how housing organisations can champion equality, diversity and inclusion in ways that create lasting impact for both people and places.

Outcomes and achievements

The FREDIE Steering Group successfully led a review of Codi’s Hate Crime Action Plan, resulting in the achievement and renewal of the Hate Crime Trustmark and a significantly strengthened organisational response to hate crime. 

The project established a more consistent approach to preventing, identifying and responding to hate crime across the organisation. Key achievements included the introduction of a dedicated Hate Crime Policy, mandatory learning, awareness resources and clearer reporting pathways, helping colleagues recognise, challenge and respond to hate-related incidents. Since launch, mandatory hate crime training has achieved 77% compliance, demonstrating strong organisational engagement and commitment to building awareness and capability.

The refreshed action plan received positive feedback from Victim Support, which recognised it as comprehensive and aligned to the requirements of the Hate Crime Charter, providing independent validation of Codi's approach. The initiative has improved awareness of hate crime and its impact on people with protected characteristics, strengthened support and signposting for victims, and reinforced a culture of zero tolerance towards discrimination and hate.

By embedding equality and inclusion into community safety, learning and organisational culture, the project has delivered sustainable change and demonstrated how housing organisations can create environments where people feel safe, valued and able to belong. 

• Project name: Building inclusion that lasts
• Lead organisation: Valleys to Coast

Statement of support

While individual teams at Valleys to Coast delivered good equality, diversity, and inclusion work, these efforts were not always joined up or strategically driven. Inclusion risked becoming fragmented or seen as a minor extra, rather than a core part of building a high-performing workplace. Valleys to Coast set out to change this for good. The goal was to build a workplace where diverse talent thrives, where every colleague feels seen and supported, and where inclusion directly improves life for customers.   

To create lasting cultural change, Valleys to Coast moved from good intentions to structured, accountable action. The organisation launched an equality, diversity, and inclusion roadmap using a visual "Mosaic" theme at its 20th anniversary conference. This helped every colleague see how their daily actions contribute to a bigger picture of inclusion.   

Inclusion was built directly into everyday operations. Valleys to Coast added equality statements to all policies and made Equality Impact Assessments mandatory right at the start of every project. To maintain strategic oversight, the organisation set up a Colleague and Culture Board, established equality, diversity, and inclusion as a core strategic priority in its corporate plan, and appointed a Director of People and Culture alongside an Organisational Development Manager. Progress is tracked through regular board reporting and clear performance measures.   

Valleys to Coast also rethought how it attracts, develops, and supports talent. The team asks job candidates about their support needs before interviews, provides interview support boxes with fidget tools and accessible materials, and partners with local colleges to widen career pathways.   

Practical barriers have been tackled directly. Valleys to Coast provides properly fitted workwear and facilities for women in trade roles, offers free sanitary products, and runs a "Men Need Bins" campaign. The organisation uses "About Me" profiles to celebrate workforce diversity, produces subtitled videos, and ensures offices feature accessible signage and hearing loops.   

Support is always close at hand. Valleys to Coast developed several internal groups where colleagues can get support whenever they need it. These include an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum, a Menopause Café, and a Welsh language support group called Clwb Cwtch, alongside peer-led groups for men's mental health, adoption, and family support. These networks are backed by neurodiversity training and British Sign Language sessions. Valleys to Coast is proud to have achieved Tai Pawb's Quality in Equality and Diversity (QED) award, which recognises its commitment to embedding equality across the entire organisation.

Through the overarching "I'm In" Customer Engagement Strategy, Valleys to Coast launched the Equal Voice Group—a specialist forum designed to bring together a diverse cross-section of the community. This group brings lived experience directly into staff training, involves customers on recruitment panels, guides accessible office designs at Wyndham House, and helps co-design behavioural standards for tradespeople working in homes.   

The impact of this work is clear. Inclusion shapes how Valleys to Coast designs services, supports staff, and makes decisions every day. Colleagues feel safe to bring their whole selves to work. One team member shared, "I felt supported before I even walked into the interview," while another noted, "It’s the first place I’ve worked where I don’t feel like I have to hide who I am."   

Valleys to Coast has built a sustainable model for change by listening to real experiences and putting people first every single day.   

Outcomes and achievements

Valleys to Coast transformed equality, diversity, and inclusion from a standalone goal into a core strategic priority across its workplace and communities.   

Key outcomes include:

• Achieved Tai Pawb’s Quality in Equality and Diversity (QED) award. Formed a Colleague and Culture Board, appointed dedicated leadership, and built equality measures directly into project planning and executive reporting.   
• Introduced interview support boxes, tailored trade workwear for women, accessible signage, hearing loops, free sanitary products, and the "Men Need Bins" campaign.   
• Established supportive internal spaces including an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Forum, Menopause Café, and Clwb Cwtch (a Welsh language group), backed by neurodiversity, British Sign Language, and peer-led mental health sessions.
• Launched the Equal Voice Group under the "I'm In" strategy to bring customer lived experience into staff training, interview panels, accessible office design, and contractor codes of conduct.   
• Created an environment where underrepresented groups feel genuinely supported. Staff and customers report feeling valued, supported, and comfortable bringing their true selves to work.