Spring 2014
Wales
Assembly
Responsible business special
As you can see from this special responsible business
edition of our Assembly Briefing, BT people do some
pretty amazing things.
I often say that
behaving as a
good corporate
citizen is in BT’s
DNA. I can only
say that because
I know it is true.
The stories
highlighted here
are only a small
sample of what
goes on in BT as part of our business as
usual. But because it is normal behaviour
for us there is a danger that we take
it for granted. That’s why we decided
to share these great stories with you.
They show what BT people do for their
communities, for the activities they feel
passionate about, and why they make BT
a great company to work with and partner
with. BT is proud to be one of Wales’s
Anchor Companies, to be contributing
to sustaining and growing the Welsh
economy. The people we showcase here
share that pride.
Ann Beynon
BT Director Wales
BT helps Women’s network
to get connected
How many different skills can you
learn on a computer in two hours?
How to use Word? Send emails
and attachments? Or perhaps how
to use Skype to keep in touch with
work colleagues?
This January BT have kick started the
New Year by initiating a series of two
hour IT literacy workshops with Welsh
language women’s network, Merched
y Wawr, to ensure their branch leaders
have the most useful IT tools at their
fingertips. The first of these BT-run
workshops took place this January in
Botwnnog where a group of enthusiastic
branch leaders were given tailored, oneto-one tuition to boost their confidence
using everyday computer programmes.
The tutorial was received very positively
by those who attended. Meryl Davies,
Deputy President of Merched y Wawr and
secretary of their Llaniestyn branch, told
Assembly Briefing’“I thoroughly enjoyed
the session with BT’s tutors and I’m glad
so many of us were able to come along.
We learned a lot in this two hour lesson.
For me it was very useful learning how to
send email attachments and I feel able to
do this by myself now.”
Ann Beynon, BT’s Director Wales, said,
“These innovative new sessions will
empower community organisations like
Merched y Wawr to make the most of
the tools the internet has to offer. The
workshops ensure that, in the digital
age, branches of community groups such
as Merched y Wawr can use computers
with confidence to stay connected and
communicate fluidly”.
BT helps Women’s
network to get
connected
BT employee takes
Tenovus challenge
to new heights
Online bowling
contest helps
Caerphilly
residents strike up
new friendships
Grant funding hits
all the right notes
BT helps Silver
Surfers stay
safe online
Charity Profile:
Hire a Hero
iPads help charity
spring into action
Spring 2014
Wales
Assembly
Responsible business special
BT employee takes Tenovus
challenge to new heights
The satisfaction of
volunteering for a
cause we believe
in drives many
to go above and
beyond to show our
appreciation for a
worthy organisation.
But how far would
you go to give
something back?
In September 2013, BT’s
The sky is the limit for Rachel’s fundraising efforts.
Apprentice Development
Coach Rachel Ellis
After 6 hours Rachel triumphantly
decided to take on an extraordinary
made it across the finish line. In total
challenge to raise money for the Tenovus
she managed to raise nearly £900
cancer charity which has been supporting
for Tenovus, a sum which will have a
her family when it needs it most. The
substantial impact on the charity’s
first half of this challenge involved a
on-going support for those diagnosed
hair-raising skydive – a feat even the
with cancer and their families. Tenovus
bravest would shy away from. At first
are a leading cancer charity in Wales,
the skydive had to be postponed due to
providing a multitude of essential
poor weather, but eventually the team
services for those diagnosed with cancer.
at Swansea airport were given the goFrom their humble roots going all the
ahead for take-off. Rachel told Assembly
way back to 1943 the charity has grown
Briefing “Although I was nervous, the
and adapted so that it now offers expert
team looked after me well and I jumped
support and advice to cancer sufferers
with Will ‘The Boss’ who had jumped over
and their families, as well as funding
12,000 times, which was reassuring. I
and conducting scientific research into
can definitely report back that this is an
cancer treatment itself.
experience of a lifetime and one I will
Rachel said this was a challenge close
never forget. Freefalling literally took my
to her heart, telling us that “My family
breath away!”
continue to receive support from
For the second half of the Tenovus
Tenovus and I feel very privileged to have
challenge, Rachel tackled a 60 mile
had such amazing experiences paying
cycle ride which took her across rugged
something back to them.” It takes a great
terrain, climbing hills totalling over 3250
deal of courage and determination to
feet high. To put this achievement into
complete a challenge as tough as this,
perspective, altogether that’s almost the
and we’re proud to have such a role
height of Mount Snowdon!
model within our team at BT.
Online bowling contest
helps Caerphilly residents
strike up new friendships
With an estimated 11 million
UK citizens classified as ‘offline’
the challenge of combating
digital exclusion is never easy,
particularly when it comes to
older members of the community.
However, as one group of older people
in Caerphilly found out, the advantages
of getting connected go far beyond the
often cited benefits of email, keeping
touch, and accessing vital services.
Building on Get IT Together Caerphilly’s
strong track record of supporting older
people with all things digital, Get Caerphilly
Online organised a ten pin bowling
contest using the Nintendo Wii games
console. The online tournament, to mark
Get Online week in October, saw twelve
teams participate, including one team from
Gwynedd demonstrating the power that
the internet has to bring people together
across the nation. Residents of Alexandra
Court housing scheme in Ynysddu
triumphed in the competition, which
included teams from residential homes,
sheltered housing, and a Day Centre, and
were awarded the official Wii Cup 2013,
sponsored by Get Online@Home.
One resident of Alexandra Court told
Assembly Briefing,“It was wonderful to
be able to play ten pin bowling from the
comfort of our home, and to know that
others were getting enjoyment from
playing elsewhere.” The fun is set to
continue for the residents of Alexandra
Court who have since decided to club
together to buy their own Wii Sports kit
so that they can have regular matches.
For more information on how Get IT
Together is helping to improve digital
inclusion, please visit http://www.bt.com/
includingyou/getting-online.html
Spring 2014
Wales
Assembly
Responsible business special
Grant funding hits all the right notes
Launched in 2013, the BT People
Award acknowledges those
hardworking members of the BT
team who, outside their working
day, give something back to their
local community.
Whilst the sound of bagpipes usually
conjures up romantic images of misty
Scottish glens or tartan-clad festivities
at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the
Swansea Pipe Band has been bringing the
sound of the highlands to South Wales
since 1971.
Grants of up to £1,000 are available
to support organisations where BT
employees offer their time and skills for
the benefit of others. For Openreach
Mobile Workforce manager and
enthusiastic piper Richard Goodwin this
was an opportunity to lend support to
the City of Swansea Pipe Band, of which
he has been a member for four years.
Its fifteen members include both pipers
and drummers, who regularly entertain
crowds at carnivals, weddings, and
remembrance festivals together with
all important Burns Nights suppers;
for many the highlight of the Scottish
cultural calendar. Band members also
offer free tuition to budding musicians,
in particular helping younger enthusiasts
to get involved in the fun.
Openreach team member Richard Goodwin with fellow members of the City of Swansea Pipe Band
Richard, a BT employee of 16 years, told
Assembly Briefing that the £200 awarded
through the BT People Award has allowed
the band to replace some of its older
uniforms, so that the band members will now
look as good as they sound. He added, “The
cost of one of our uniforms can be anything
up to £2500, so grants such as this one from
BT go a very long way in supporting us in
our activity. Without it, when we perform
we wouldn’t look half as impressive.”
The City of Swansea Pipe Band was
among 11 organisations in Wales to
receive funding support from BT,
including Builth Wells Junior Rugby Club,
Neath Little Theatre, and 415 (Merthyr
Tydfil) Squadron Air Training Corps.
Spring 2014
Wales
Assembly
Responsible business special
BT helps Silver Surfers stay safe online
The importance of protecting
older people from the threat
of financial scams was brought
to the fore in November as BT
Wales engaged in a roundtable
event hosted by Wales Office
Minister, Baroness Jenny
Randerson, and the older
people’s charity Age Cymru.
Representatives from across Wales and
the UK, including Royal Mail, Ofcom,
Action Fraud and Citizens Advice, joined
BT Wales in discussions with Age Cymru,
to examine how closer partnership
working can help to prevent older people
from falling victim to financial scams.
After an address by Baroness Randerson,
Age Cymru explained how their “Scams
and Swindles” campaign is calling for key
companies to do more to protect older
people from criminals who ruthlessly
steal from them through a variety of
scams and swindles.
Brian Webb, Head of UK Security
Compliance from BT was able to brief
the attendees on the potential threats
to older people from a telecoms
perspective. In particular, Brian discussed
the difficulties around caller line
identification, ISP management of spam
mail, and other common methods used to
access personal data.
Age Cymru wants companies targeted by
the scammers to provide more protection
for their customers, including the
establishment of more No Cold Calling
Zones across Wales. Participants also
heard from Marilyn Baldwin, founder of
the charity “Think Jessica”, which was
created after her mother became a victim
of targeted scams.
On the day, Gerry Keighly from Age
Cymru told attendees “We want to
work constructively with commercial
organisations such as Royal Mail and BT
and with authorities to develop barriers
that
can keep crooks away from older
5165_welsh_ad.qxd 20/1/12 11:59 Page 1
vulnerable people.” In line with this, BT
are continuing to look at ways to ensure
that elderly people can be kept safe
from unscrupulous scams and will seize
opportunities like this to cooperate on this
cross-cutting issue.
Did you know you can
contact BT in Welsh?
To discuss a bill, buy products
or report a fault on your line
call 0800 800 288,
Monday to Saturday
8am - 6pm.
Directory enquiries - call us
on 118 404*, 24 hours a day.
* Calls to 118 404 cost £1.69 per minute or part of a minute, and connection
charge of 29p per call from a BT landline (except BT payphones).
Prices from mobile and other networks can vary. Prices correct January 2012.
Spring 2014
Wales
Assembly
Responsible business special
Charity Profile: Hire a Hero
With 70% of ex-service people
unemployed a year after leaving
the forces, and many experiencing
problems such as depression, the
transition to Civvy Street is not
necessarily an easy one.
It was these challenging circumstances
which inspired a group of ex-service
personnel in South Wales to establish
Hire a Hero, a Pontypool based charity
supporting service leavers in finding
meaningful and valuable employment –
whatever it takes.
By offering support through mentoring,
assistance in training and gaining
employment, together with finding
suitable housing (especially for those who
have sustained injuries during combat),
the charity seeks to make the transition
from military to civilian life as smooth
and stable as possible.
Hire a Hero works with employers,
financial advice organisations, and
healthcare groups, offering a suite of
support to ex-service personnel when
they need it most. The organisation
has received help from BT Wales who
have recently signed up as a corporate
supporter and have seconded a team
member to help with the charity’s
development.
Ann Beynon, BT Director Wales,
explained that BT has an active history in
supporting ex-armed forces members,
“BT’s local network business Openreach
has been working with the Ministry of
Defence to offer ex-service personnel an
opportunity to join our apprenticeship
scheme. With such a diverse range of
skills, many of them technical, those
Jennifer Lilley (Head of Transition), Major (Retd.) Gerry Hill MBE + QGM + Bar (CEO, Hire a Hero)
and Ashley Bain Venn (Logistics Officer – Tenouvs) who began work with the cancer charity
following 16 years in in the Army Logistics Corps.
leaving the services have plenty to offer
to an organisation such as BT, and many
other companies in Wales.”
Hire a Hero CEO Major Gerry Hill
added, “A career in the armed forces
develops skills and qualities in many
areas desirable to an employer. BT’s
recognition of these transferable skills as
an asset to businesses demonstrates the
added value which former members of
the armed forces can bring to the Welsh
economy, and sets an example for other
organisations to follow.”
Spring 2014
Wales
Assembly
Responsible business special
iPads help charity spring into action
As the dedicated staff at
children’s charity Action for
Children will tell you, the
ability to access a computer is
something many of us take for
granted.
When the young people’s support
organisation applied for funding from
BT to supply their staff with iPads, they
explained that while it is tempting to
think of computers as a ubiquitous,
everyday item, it is easy to forget that
not everyone in Wales is lucky enough
to own one.
Indeed, for many struggling families and
young people in Wales, a computer is a
luxury they simply cannot afford. This
places them at a significant disadvantage
to their peers, being unable to access
important information online regarding
education, employment, and many other
vital services. To combat this, BT has
specifically established a fund to aid
community groups and charities seeking
to minimise the impacts of poverty
through digital inclusion.
Recognising the considerable impact
such investment could have, BT provided
Action for Children with £20,000 in grant
funding to purchase iPads for its staff. In
July 2013 the charity distributed 62 Mini
iPads to its team, who work directly with
families and young people throughout
Mid, South and West Wales.
With the right technology, and an Action
for Children family worker by their side,
the sky is now the limit for these young
people and their parents as a suite of
services and facilities become available
in the comfort and security of familiar
surroundings.
BT Director Wales Ann Beynon with Action for Children’s Stephen Wornham
Between July and December, the iPads
enabled the charity to assist over 469
individuals and families.
Stephen Wornham, Action for Children’s
Partnership Fundraiser, told Assembly
Briefing, “This funding from BT presented
a unique opportunity for us to take our
advice service for young people to the
next level. For some of the young people
and families we work with, the iPads have
opened up avenues for development they
hadn’t thought possible.
One mother was able to use the iPad’s
camera facility to take photographs with
her child and access electronic learning
resources including nursery rhymes.
Others have been able to access support
forums for young carers to build up their
self-esteem and feel reassured that they
are not alone in seeking outside help.
With so many services, education
resources, and aspects of everyday life
increasingly operating online, it’s great
to know that organisations such as BT
are offering a helping hand to those who
need it the most.”
Further information about the work of
Action for Children can be found on
their website. Please visit
www.actionforchildren.org.uk