The Group operates with an underlying awareness of its wider responsibilities to society.

Communities and charities

In addition to the Group's Charity of the Year, during 2008 the Group launched a new initiative called .Community aimed at harnessing the energy and enthusiasm of its employees to benefit the communities in which it operates.

The .Community initiative is focused on helping charities within a few miles of the Group's offices in Ewloe and so support is targeted primarily in Flintshire and Cheshire. From the inception of the .Community scheme the Group has set aside £7,680 in 2008 and expects to set aside £2,000 per month in 2009 via the Charities Aid Foundation. The .Community initiative is administered by the Group's employees who identify causes and make donations.

Since its launch in August 2008 the .Community scheme has already supported the following charities:

In addition to .Community initiative, the Group continues to select and support a charity on an annual basis. The 2007/08 Charity of the Year was Brain Injury Rehabilitation and Development (BIRD). BIRD is a Chester based charity which provides a unique programme to aid the rehabilitation of people with neurological impairment. Over the course of the year employees raised £9,976 for BIRD with the Group donating £13,042 making a total donation in the year of £23,018.

Employees have selected the Hospice of the Good Shepherd for the Group's 2008/09 Charity of the Year. The Hospice, which is on the outskirts of Chester, exists to provide highly specialised palliative care for people living with advanced diseases from the communities of Chester, Deeside, Ellesmere Port and rural Cheshire. During the year, employees raised £2,227 for the Hospice with the Group donating £3,760 making a total donation in the year of £5,987.

Environment

The Group strives to reduce energy and raw material usage to support environmental and financial performance.

The Group has launched a new initiative called Team Green to focus on environmental and sustainability improvements in the way the Group operates. The team is focusing on recycling and energy use within the Group as well as other areas such as local and ethical sourcing.

The Group has chosen not to set environmental key performance indicators due to its relative size and the limited impact it has on the environment. The Group does however participate in the Carbon Disclosure Project.