Thakeham Renews Bronze Sponsoring Partnership with Building Heroes, Supporting the Armed Forces Community’s Transition from Service to Civilian Life

Building Heroes, the leading tri-service military charity dedicated to facilitating the transition from military to civilian careers within the construction sector is proud to announce that Thakeham has renewed its Bronze Sponsoring Partnership.

Partnering with Thakeham, a leading housebuilder renowned for its commitment to sustainability and community-focused developments, underscores our mission to collaborate with industry trailblazers that align with our values of service and excellence and are committed to providing opportunities for the armed forces community within the construction industry.

Since its foundation in 2014, Building Heroes has supported the transition of over 3,400 graduates into civilian life by offering access to barrier-free construction training programmes. As a recipient of the Queen’s Award and celebrating a decade of significant impact, the charity continues to work with educational partners and industry leaders to accelerate learning that leads to employment or self-employment in construction, infrastructure, and sustainable building sectors.

Thakeham’s sponsorship of Building Heroes strengthens a shared commitment to supporting armed forces personnel, advancing construction skills training, and fostering community development. This ongoing collaboration was recently showcased when Thakeham team members joined Building Heroes at a British Forces Resettlement Service careers event, jointly engaging with service leavers to explore various career opportunities in construction.

On September 30th, learners from the Basingstoke Building Heroes Academy experienced a comprehensive site tour at Thakeham’s Welborne development in Hampshire. This visit provided an in-depth view of the complex stages of development, highlighting Thakeham’s commitment to sustainable building practices.

Sarah Crush, Social Value Manager at Thakeham, commented,

“We are committed to helping veterans and reservists find a rewarding career in construction by providing the necessary skills and employment pathways. Our partnership with Building Heroes supports active service members and veterans transition into civilian life via work placements and site tours as part of the charity’s academy programmes.

Our dedication to helping the armed forces community is unwavering. Last year, we received a Gold award from the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme, the highest level of recognition available to organisations who pledge, demonstrate and advocate support for, and align their values with, the Armed Forces Covenant. With less than 200 national recipients of this accolade, we are the only south east housebuilder to achieve this status.”

CEO of Building Heroes, Chris Charles, added,

“We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Thakeham. Our decision to renew the partnership with Thakeham is a testament to their leadership in sustainable development and their unwavering commitment to quality, the Armed Forces community, and the local communities within which they work.

This collaboration not only strengthens our ability to support the Armed Forces community though our training programmes but also enhances our learners’ experiences with direct involvement in modern, high-quality housing developments through on-site visits and work placements at Thakeham.

We are immensely grateful for Thakeham’s ongoing support, which enriches our charity’s work and provides our learners with deeper industry insights, thereby expanding their career opportunities in the construction sector.”

Both organisations are enthusiastic about continuing this rewarding collaboration and eagerly anticipate further success stories as learners transition into rewarding careers, enhanced by the skills and industry knowledge acquired through Building Heroes’ programmes.

For more information about Building Heroes and their programmes, please visit www.buildingheroes.org.uk.

For further details on Thakeham and their projects, please visit www.thakeham.com.

About Building Heroes

Established in 2014, Building Heroes is the leading tri-service military to construction charity. They help those who have kept us safe with a seamless transition into the civilian workplace through training that leads to a gateway to construction employment opportunities. They join forces together – Armed Forces leavers, the education sector and the construction industry – benefiting all concerned. They are the gateway to second careers in construction for service leavers, veterans, reservists and their families.

In April 2022, Building Heroes became one of 226 organisations nationally to be honoured for its excellence with a prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise-Promoting Opportunity. Approved by the Prime Minister’s recommendation, this category acknowledges social mobility programmes that help people transition into successful working lives.

As a Queen’s Award-winning local charity, they are proud to be recognised for the exceptionally hard work that the Building Heroes team put in daily, helping to recruit, reskill and redeploy those who have kept us safe.

About Thakeham

Established in 2003 and based in West Sussex, Thakeham delivers sustainable homes and strong communities, providing private residential developments, high-quality, tenure-blind affordable homes and open spaces to infrastructure, facilities and strategic land services.

Thakeham’s industry-leading approach to zero carbon-ready homes, biodiversity and the environment, alongside its commitment to people, communities, and creating unique places to live, put it at the forefront of placemaking in the UK. It provides homes for all buyers, residents and lifestyles across the south of England, from bungalows inspired by the village vernacular to large family homes in commutable locations and modern apartments.

Thakeham is marketing homes from 1 bedroom to 5 bedrooms in Surrey and Sussex.