The Pioneer Group - Nationwide Windows and Doors

The Pioneer Group’s partnership with Nationwide Windows and Doors showcases how businesses and communities can work together to create lasting impact. Alongside a multimillion-pound investment upgrading over 2,000 homes, Nationwide committed £100,000 in social value to support the Castle Vale community. This has funded a range of initiatives, including a new sensory room and acoustic improvements at The Sanctuary, Christmas hampers for residents in need, improved facilities at Castle Vale Stadium, as well as support for one local school and a community centre. As a place-shaping organisation, The Pioneer Group ensures major projects not only improve homes but also strengthen the wider community.

Across Castle Vale, targeted investment in community infrastructure and practical support continues to deliver measurable social value by strengthening health and wellbeing, reducing barriers to participation, and bringing residents together. The initiatives below show how relatively focused capital and in-kind contributions can unlock wider community impact—supporting children and young people, improving inclusion for residents with additional needs, and increasing the safety, accessibility and long-term sustainability of local facilities.

Community Awards and Summer Community Festivals

The Castle Vale Community Hearts Awards provided a powerful opportunity to recognise residents and community groups whose commitment, leadership and volunteer effort make a tangible difference across the neighbourhood. Held at Lift Greenwood and opened by a performance from Centre Stage, the event celebrated the individuals who strengthen community resilience every day and highlighted the depth of civic pride that exists within Castle Vale.

The awards funding helped deliver a high-quality community celebration, covering trophies, venue hire, refreshments and publicity. More importantly, it enabled us to shine a spotlight on local role models, acknowledge often unseen contributions, and reinforce the message that community leadership is valued and worth investing in.

By celebrating grassroots champions, the event helped inspire further volunteering, strengthen local pride and encourage wider participation in community life across all age groups.

The Summer Community Festival has become an important annual expression of Castle Vale’s identity, bringing residents together through a shared programme of celebration, creativity and community participation. Supported over two consecutive years through Nationwide funding, the festival has created a visible and positive legacy, demonstrating how targeted social value investment can strengthen connection, pride and belonging across the neighbourhood.

Funding has supported essential event infrastructure and activities, including portable toilets, inflatable play equipment, children’s rides, staging, sound and other practical costs required to deliver a safe, inclusive and well-attended festival experience.

By offering free or low-cost activities, from live music and dance to family attractions, the festival reduces financial barriers to participation and ensures that residents of all ages can take part in a shared community experience.

The festival also plays an important role in strengthening intergenerational connections. Previous events have brought together young children, teenagers, families, adults and older residents in the same welcoming space, helping to build relationships, reduce isolation and reconnect neighbours.

A key aim of this year’s festival is to showcase local talent. From choirs and dance groups to emerging street artists and bands, the event will provide a platform for Castle Vale’s cultural life, giving performers a valued home audience and building confidence in local creative talent.

In an area where affordable leisure opportunities can be limited, the festival provides a safe and welcoming environment that helps counter loneliness, particularly for older residents and families on constrained budgets. As a volunteer-led event, it also mobilises local groups and residents to contribute directly—whether through stalls, activities or practical support—creating a stronger sense of ownership and investment in Castle Vale’s future.

Overall, the Summer Community Festival delivers far more than a one-day event. It strengthens community identity, creates opportunities for collaboration, promotes inclusion and showcases the pride, talent and resilience that continue to define Castle Vale.

Sport and active participation (Stadium changing/shower facilities and dugouts – £27,000). Investment in improved changing room and shower provision, alongside permanent dugouts, strengthens the stadium’s role as a community asset. These upgrades help the venue meet governing-body expectations, enhance the match-day and training experience, and make it easier to host regular activity for women, children and local teams. In practice, better facilities remove a common participation barrier—particularly for groups who may be less likely to use a site where privacy, comfort and basic amenities are limited—thereby supporting healthier lifestyles and creating more opportunities for structured, positive activity in the neighbourhood.



Inclusion, accessibility and wellbeing (The Sanctuary sensory room – £15,000; acoustic improvements – £6,000; new oven). The Sanctuary continues to provide a safe and supportive environment for children and young people, including those with SEND and those experiencing anxiety or poor mental health. A dedicated sensory room increases the organisation’s ability to respond to individual needs, offering a calming, purpose-designed space that helps young people regulate, re-engage and participate meaningfully. Complementing this, acoustic improvements to the main hall will make activities more accessible—particularly for older residents and anyone with hearing difficulties—by reducing echo and improving clarity during sessions and events. Practical equipment such as a new oven further strengthens the venue’s capacity to run communal activities and food-based sessions, supporting both social connection and everyday resilience.

Keeping community services open and safe (Upcycle charity shop window replacement – £950). Upcycle provides affordable household goods and clothing, helping residents manage cost-of-living pressures while promoting reuse and reducing waste. Funding to replace a damaged shopfront window ensures the premises remains safe, secure and welcoming for customers and volunteers. Although small in value relative to larger capital works, this type of responsive repair protects a trusted local service and prevents avoidable disruption that would disproportionately affect low-income households who rely on low-cost provision.

Safe spaces for children and families (Young Stars flooring replacement – approx. £10,000, quote pending). Young Stars delivers inclusive play and developmental youth sessions at the heart of Castle Vale. Replacing worn flooring is a direct health-and-safety intervention that protects children and volunteers while safeguarding continuity of service. A clean, durable surface improves hygiene, reduces trip hazards and enables a wider range of activities. Importantly, it helps the organisation avoid cutting sessions or relocating—maintaining a consistent, familiar and safe environment for families who may have limited access to alternative childcare, play or enrichment opportunities.

Reducing poverty-related barriers to learning (Greenwood Academy school vouchers – £1,000; Christmas hamper vouchers – £2,000). Targeted supermarket vouchers enable schools and partners to respond quickly when children are at risk of starting the day hungry or without appropriate snacks. This support protects children’s dignity while improving readiness to learn, attendance and concentration, and it provides immediate relief for families under financial pressure. The Christmas hamper vouchers extend that impact into the winter period, when household budgets are stretched further, helping to reduce stress and strengthen the sense that the community is collectively looking out for its most vulnerable residents.

Environmental improvement and local stewardship (Swift bird box installations). Working with a local charity group, Community Environmental Trust, to install swift boxes supports biodiversity and encourages community pride in the local environment. Projects like this also create positive volunteering opportunities, connect residents across generations through practical activity, and contribute to wider placemaking aims by demonstrating visible care for neighbourhood spaces.

Community cohesion and independent living (Phoenix Court kitchen refurbishment). Transforming an unusable commercial kitchen into a welcoming communal facility creates a practical focal point for resident connection. A shared kitchen can reduce isolation, enable social cooking sessions and celebrations, and support residents to develop confidence and independence. It also provides an additional setting for partner organisations to deliver advice, health and wellbeing activity, or informal check-ins—strengthening the local support network and helping residents to remain well in their homes for longer.

Positive experiences for families and partnership working (Community Easter Egg Event – including £150 supermarket voucher contribution). Supporting the annual Easter programme provides a low-cost, high-impact way to bring families into contact with local services in a friendly, stigma-free setting. The event model—partner organisations each hosting an activity, with families completing a puzzle trail before a final community fun day—encourages engagement across multiple venues and strengthens collaboration between groups. Ensuring each participating child receives an Easter egg rewards involvement and makes the day accessible to families who may not otherwise afford seasonal treats. With some organisations facing funding cuts and rising resource costs, contributions of eggs (e.g., approximately 50 small eggs) or vouchers help protect participation levels and maintain the event’s role in promoting services and community connection.

Safety, warmth and accessibility for older residents (Whittle Croft communal area doors). The installation of new doors has improved safety and accessibility in the retirement housing communal area by making it easier for residents with mobility issues, walking aids or reduced grip strength to move independently and confidently. Improved security and visibility support reassurance and increased use of shared spaces. The improved thermal comfort has also helped extend social activity times, directly tackling isolation by enabling residents to spend longer together in a warm, welcoming environment.

Taken together, these examples demonstrate social value delivered through three consistent outcomes: (1) stronger, safer community infrastructure; (2) improved inclusion and wellbeing for children, young people and older residents; and (3) increased community cohesion through shared events and spaces. They also highlight how visible, place-based investment—supported by partner branding where appropriate—builds trust, strengthens local relationships and helps sustain frontline services in a high-need community.

Whittle Croft- Residents Communal Area

The new doors that have been installed have improved safety, accessibility, and comfort for residents in the retirement housing scheme on Castle Vale. 

They have made it easier for residents with mobility issues, walking aids, or reduced grip strength to move around independently and safely in the communal area of the scheme. The improved security and visibility also help residents feel more confident in using the communal area independently. They have made the room much warmer too so therefore social activity times have been extended. 

pioneergroup.org.uk