Our Community

We at Marston Group believe we have an obligation as part of our corporate social responsibility to actively support local communities with initiatives, and help make a positive difference in people's lives.

As part of our commitment we ensure we promote and provide local employment opportunities, encourage environmental considerations, support youth and educational events and sponsor charity shows.

Environmental considerations

We have appointed an Environmental Champion in each of our regional offices to oversee our environmental programmes and report to the Marston Group’s board.

Hand held computers

To reduce paper-based records, improve accuracy and timeliness of information available to our officers on the doorstep we introduced hand held PDA computers in 2005. These link in real-time to our main system and allow up to date information on outstanding debt, recent payments, other warrants or orders to be sent by the officer directly.

We are currently pursuing other e-commerce alternatives to reduce paper, one of which is the use of digital pens.

Fuel

We review our procurement strategies regularly to ensure that we purchase the smallest and the most fuel-efficient vehicles that will satisfy our requirements and we are currently investigating LPG powered vehicles. We have tested electric powered vehicles but found that the stop start nature of our officers business is not compatible with the battery life at this time.

Energy and electricity

We monitor the use of energy in our offices, cost of waste disposal and look for an overall reduction quarter on quarter where no other factors have changed. We have already carried out a review of our lighting, water supply and heating systems and have implemented energy saving equipment and mechanisms where possible.

Recycling

We recycle equipment wherever possible and ensure that all paper, cardboard is recycled as non-confidential or confidential waste.

Sustainability

To help offset our environmental impact we have given away a variety of saplings including Wild Berry, Silver Birch, Rowan and Wild Pear to clients and other delegates at trade exhibition and shows.

Sponsoring local charities and events
Charity or Community Event	What the sponsorship will help achieve
Waltham Abbey’s local youth team Basingstoke Ladies Football Club Whetstone Football Club	Getting children to be more active and involved in team based sporting activities.
Haven House Foundation	For the last several years Marston Group have financially supported and raised thousands of pounds through auctions for the Children’s Hospice. Helping them continue providing care and end of life care, for children aged 0-19 years with a life-limiting or life-threatening conditions.
Children’s Safety Education Foundation	Marston’s funding is helping promote personal safety, social, health and citizenship education amongst children and young people.
Laburnum Boat Club	The funding helps motivate and encourage local young people from less fortunate backgrounds suffering from disabilities to get involved in water sporting activities. We also sponsored a team of young people that completed the first ever decent of the Zanskar River, India.
Arrow Riding Club for The Disabled	The sponsorship is used for the funding of sports grounds, multi-use games areas, horses for disabled riding, equipment, changing facilities and improvements to disability access.
British Heart Foundation (BHF)	A team of employees completed a 55-mile charity cycle marathon from London to Brighton and raised over £2,000 for the BHF.
Ann Davies Cancer Appeal	Marston Group’s London RTA Enforcement Operations Manager and a team of 25 raised over £30,000 cycling from Portmeirion in North Wales to Aberavon, South Wales over a 5-day period. The donation will go towards nursing staff so they can continue administering the specialist and dignified care for the terminally ill cancer sufferers.
Charity walk	Marston Group’s Marketing Manager took part in a 106-mile walk, from Kendal (Cumbria) to Whitley Bay on the Tyne & Wear coast with other members of the parking and civil enforcement sector to raise money for the families of UK soldiers injured in Iraq. More than £12,000 was raised.
Maidstone Mencap Charitable Trust	Marston help fund the purchase of a Special Needs Tricycle which will enable children suffering from special needs to be able to get more physically involved at playschool, weekly clubs and holiday clubs.
Children Living with Inherited Metabolic Diseases (CLIMB)	We sponsored a 71-year-old retired fire officer to walk the 4000-mile coast of Great Britain, which will take almost 345 days. The total raised was a staggering £50,000.
The Charity Focus Group (Liverpool Direct Ltd)	Marston helped raise £10,000 for National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children and Macmillan Nurses.
The Dream Factory	Marston Group helped raise more then £18,000 for Dream Factory, a charity which helps make the dreams of terminally ill children come true.