1. How Portakabin got involved  

     

    Through our partnership with York Cares, the Portakabin team recently embarked upon two rejuvenation projects at York High School.  

    The first challenge was to revitalise the exterior of the school building. Volunteers came together to design and paint the outside walls, as well as refurbish the picnic benches where students gather during break times.  

    The results brought colour and energy to the space, transforming it into a more welcoming and enjoyable area for both students and staff members! 

  2. Our partnership with York High School continued 

     

    A few months later, Portakabin was asked to return to the school building to take on a second challenge! This involved improving an outdoor area with the goal of creating an inviting, low-maintenance space where pupils could relax and enjoy their surroundings. The work was carefully planned in two phases and expertly completed by our dedicated and enthusiastic team.   

    Gavin Kumar, Principal at York High School said: “What can I say. The area looks amazing and has improved the area of the school at no end. The group of colleagues who have done this today have been absolutely lovely too, and a credit to Portakabin.”  

    Tabatha Hurst stated: “We love the opportunity to give back to our local community and encourage all of our employees to use their paid volunteering days on projects that inspire them. At our head office, we work with York Cares to provide volunteering opportunities around the city and we knew our employees would be excited to get involved with these transformation projects at York High School. The teams did an amazing job cleaning and brightening up these spaces!”  

  3. How Portakabin delivers social value in our local community  

     

    York High School is the only secondary school building in York with a higher-than-average number of students eligible for Free School Meals. In its catchment area, there are neighbourhoods which are in the 10% most deprived nationally, according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation.   

    The project focused on creating a school building environment to inspire pride and wellbeing, which closely aligns with our responsible business approach that is centred around delivering social value and creating positive change. The volunteering project also highlighted how social value can be delivered through collaboration, with generous material donations from members of our supply chain who helped to make this transformation possible. 

    Through dedication and care, improving a school building does not only transform the look of a space, but it can also help to shape brighter futures.  

    Well done to everyone involved!  

  4. Our Responsible Business Approach

     

    For this project, Portakabin was honoured to receive the York Cares Golden Moments award, for our support for the Environment and Sustainability programme. This is a proud achievement that reflects our ongoing commitment of delivering social value and operating as a responsible business.

    Tabatha Hurst, Head of Sustainability at Portakabin, stated “We are very proud to be able to support a local school and our work with them is an achievement of not just the employees involved in the effort, but of the wider business. This is a great example of our commitment to being a responsible business in our local community, wherever we are across the country.” 

    Our approach to being a responsible business is centered around growing the business in a way that allows us to provide a meaningful contribution to society. Learn more about our Responsible Business Approach and how we strive to create positive social impact in all that we do.