Other Partnerships

Vision Pillar – PARTNERSHIPS: ‘We aim to be the partner of choice for the Government and the Island’s parishes, supporting all their energy needs.’

Our partnerships, however, go well beyond this as we seek to create value across our community in many ways beyond delivering our core business activities. We do this through our corporate sponsorship programme and the CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activities of our people.

We focus our support on charities, organisations and local causes that concentrate their activities on health, education and the environment. One relationship in particular that embraces both the environment and education is with our long-term partner the National Trust for Jersey which shares our Vision for a zerocarbon future.

We support the Trust’s important Education Programme by sponsoring its full-time Education Officer for three years to the end of 2022. Around 3,500 children a year engage with the programme which involves activities that complement schools’ science curricula and encourage children to ‘reconnect with nature’. Under the banner ‘We Have the Power’, the programme aims to raise awareness of the causes of climate change and the impacts such as biodiversity loss and how to prevent this.

Showcase at COP26

The programme has also given rise to the exciting and innovative Power Rangers initiative in Jersey. Backed by the United Nations and headquartered at the ‘Climate Hub’ we helped to create at the Trust’s historic Le Moulin de Quétivel, Power Rangers is a young environmentalists’ club through which participants work towards official YUNGA (Young United Nations Global Alliance) Challenge Badges. A film about Jersey Power Rangers was shown at

the UN Climate Change Conference, COP26, in Glasgow as part of a series by the International National Trusts Organisation to showcase the climate work of trusts across the world.

Our second significant sponsorship with the Trust, also in its third year, is the reforestation of Mourier valley in the North of Jersey by planting 6,000 trees over three years. In partnership with Jersey Water, we are co-funding and physically helping to plant 20 acres with the Trust and Jersey Trees for Life. Despite COVID-19 restrictions we were able to return in smaller groups to help plant a further 2,300 trees during last season’s planting window. This year we announced another environmental project in partnership with the 12 parishes by investing £60,000 (£5,000 per parish) to create densely planted areas of trees and shrubs. The aim is to engage the community as volunteers, contribute to carbon sequestration and increase biodiversity over the long term. At year end, 10 parishes had found suitable land, three had gained the necessary planning permissions and planting is expected to start in two parishes in the coming planting window.

We are in the final year of a three-year project with the National Trust for Jersey to reforest Mourier Valley by planting 6,000 trees over 20 acres to contribute to carbon sequestration and increase biodiversity.

Other Partnerships continued

Recognising environmental excellence

We were delighted that the presentations for two JE-sponsored environmental awards were finally able to take place in 2021. Jersey Mencap won the sixth Pride of Jersey Environmentalists Award for its La Ferme Pond Project which enhances biodiversity and provides work experience for Islanders with a learning disability. At the Jersey Construction Council Awards, the re-development of La Vieille Êcole collected our Sustainability Award.

Sponsored by JE

Jersey Mencap won the sixth Pride of Jersey Environmentalists Award for its La Ferme Pond Project which enhances biodiversity and provides work experience for Islanders with a learning disability.

Sustainability Awards Child Accident Prevention

A donation of an electric bike helped Brightly raise almost

£20,000

to support care experienced youngsters

Support for charities

We continued to support Family Nursing and Home Care whose Colour Festival had to be cancelled for a second year due to COVID-19, and when Sanctuary Trust had to cancel its Walk Into Light we instead, supported its 10th Anniversary Challenge. A donation of an electric bike again helped Brightly raise almost £20,000 to support care-experienced youngsters, and we supported one of our employees on a cycle ride from Land’s End to John O’Groats by matching the funds he raised and bringing the total to almost £1,500 for Autism Jersey.

We promote home and electrical safety among school children by supporting Child Accident Prevention’s Safety In Action weeks during which 10 employees took time out to stage inter-active workshops for 2,000 children at Highlands College over 16 days in July and September. Our Monthly Staff Charity Draw continues, raising over £5,000 for employee-nominated local charities with donations paid directly from salaries. This year’s beneficiaries were: Brighter Futures, Jersey Brain Tumour Charity, Jersey Child Care Trust, Helping Wings, Philip’s Footprint, Move on Youth Project, Jersey Lifeboat Association, Cancer Research UK Jersey, JSPCA, Donna Annand Melanoma Charity, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Jersey and Jersey Hospice Care.

We aim to exploit technology at every opportunity to improve network reliability, reduce operating costs and build capacity for the future.