Good news stories
Open doors
During March, the project hosted a total of 27 students from Walsall College and BMet College, as part of Build UK’s Open Doors initiative. All involved students are in their first year of the Design, Surveying and Planning T-Level.
Open Doors is a fantastic initiative to teach young people about the construction industry and the opportunities available, providing them firsthand experience of visiting a real site and hearing from professionals currently in the industry.
The sessions were supported by members of the project team, who were able to provide insight into their individual disciplines and share their knowledge and experience.
Each session began with a presentation including:
- an introduction to the company
- a step-by-step overview of the works we are completing on the A38(M) Tame Valley Viaduct
- drone footage to give the students a feel for the confined space within the box girders and crossboxes
- a site induction
MRSL gave a talk about their role on the project and the equipment they use, including a look inside the mock crossboxes.
Each session also involved a site walk to the North Transition and South Abutment.
We finished off the sessions with a section on ‘Careers in Construction’, where each volunteer discussed their individual roles and responsibilities, as well as sharing their education and career routes into the sector to provide insight into the different pathways they can take.
The students engaged well with the sessions and asked plenty of questions throughout the day.
“Without the support from employers such as VF, our students would not gain the knowledge and skills they require for their qualification and their future careers in construction.” – Mandy Creswell, Industry Placement Officer, Walsall College
“Thank you for inviting us to visit your site on Monday 17th. I found it very interesting and allowed us to see a different area of the construction industry. It was also interesting to meet the rescue team as well, as we have never seen anything like that before.” – Emma Cartwright, T-Level Design, Surveying and Planning Student, Walsall College
“Opportunities like this empower our young talent to envision their future careers with confidence. Thank you for inspiring the next generation of construction professionals!” – Suzanna Hussain, Industry Placement Officer, BMet College
WAITS donations
In support of International Women’s Day on 8 March, we supported Women Acting In Today's Society (WAITS) with donations.
WAITS is a charity based in the city centre that supports women who are experiencing domestic abuse, homelessness, or other challenges.
They offer practical assistance, advocacy, and emotional support to help women rebuild their lives.
On project, we set up a donation points for items needed including toiletries and towels as the charity offers refuge accommodation for women who have had to flee abusive situations and don’t have these basic items.
The project team donated items worth over £180.
Spaghetti junction competition
We held our annual ‘Spaghetti Junction Competition’, which involved everyone on site taking part and trying to replicate the junction and A38(M) viaduct using food items, including dried pasta, tins, and other goods they had brought in.
These items were then donated to St Basils' local accommodation projects to support their young people over Christmas! There were over 250 items donated this year – a massive thank you to our project team on site for getting involved, their generosity, and supporting such a worthwhile charity.
We also welcomed participants of Jericho’s Equiano project for a site visit, which was wonderful. It was great to spend time talking about the project and the different roles within the construction industry.
Children's Book Project
At the start of October, 6 members of the team had the pleasure of joining the Children’s Book Project’s hub in Birmingham.
The project runs nationwide and aims to:
- stop book waste
- support children from disadvantaged groups
- promote a sustainable solution
Thousands of children across the UK grow up with very few or no books in their homes, which many of us take for granted.
Alarming figures suggest that 1 in 12 children in England do not own a book, and 1 in 5 children leave primary school with inadequate reading skills.
Reading in childhood has so many benefits including increasing vocabulary, supporting with academic performance and help develop creative skills.
We spent the day sorting through donated children’s books, categorising and then packing them ready to go to their new homes – those who need them most.
Over the summer we held a book donation drive for the Children's Book Project. It was fantastic to see it from the other side and what happens with the books once the charity receives them.
Such a worthwhile cause and sustainable option for your children’s books they no longer want/have grown out of.
During July and August, we held a book collection for the Children’s Book Project.
Our project team all got behind the initiative and donated over 300 brand new and pre-loved books, worth £2,000.
The books we collected on site were taken to the distribution centre in Birmingham where wonderful volunteers give up their time to sort them into different categories and pack them ready to be sent to local schools where they are given to children all over the West Midlands.
Canal and River Trust volunteering 
Members of the project team have taken part in two volunteering days, supporting the Canal and River Trust.
During the two days at Duddeston Saltley and Mill Street, near Aston University, the team supported with tasks including:
- vegetation management and clearance
- litter removal
- bi-yearly maintenance checks along the canals
The team volunteered over 130 hours which is fantastic, because we are supporting the whole community who access the canal and river network.
Corporate volunteering days are vital to assist the Canal and River Trust’s continual commitment to ensuring these green spaces are open and safe for the local communities, or anyone travelling along the historic waterways.
The teams enjoyed both days, and they would recommend volunteering with the Trust to anyone, to improve your own wellbeing, the community and the environment.
Raffle and football fundraising event for Birmingham Blaze FC and Birmingham's Ronald McDonald House charity
On Thursday 4 July at the project, it was a day of two halves for the project.
In the morning, we hosted a summer health and safety standdown session with demonstrations from Nationwide Platforms, Flannery Plant Hire, MRSL Training and Rescue and Palmers Scaffolding. 
Over 150 of our team on the project including client and supply chain partners attended and got involved in the activities on the day. It was a great opportunity to reset the project team’s focus as well as focus on the health and safety of the site. We also had ChangeKitchen CIC (ChangeKitchen CIC ChangeKitchen CIC) put on a wonderful spread for lunch, keeping the team well fed!
In the afternoon, we held a fundraiser for two extremely important local cases. Birmingham’s Ronald McDonald House Charity (Birmingham House - Ronald McDonald House Charities (rmhc.org.uk)) and Birmingham Blaze FC (Birmingham Blaze FC).
The fundraiser included a raffle and football tournament held at Birmingham's Powerleague. We had 13 fantastic prizes up for grabs all donated by local companies to the project (including an overnight stay and 3 course meal at The Grand Hotel in Birmingham and a signed Aston Villa shirt), and 10 teams from the project team all entered with the tournament. The total amount raised was £1,360 so we are able to donate £680 to each worthwhile and amazing causes.
Hike for Homeless event
On Saturday 8 June, three members of our project team took part in St Basil’s ‘Hike for Homeless’ event in Abergavenny, South Wales.
The trio hiked over 15.5 miles (more than half a marathon) and raised £800 for the charity!
Over 500 participants took part in the event, raising an impressive £22.9K. All the funds raised will continue to support the amazing work St Basils does, providing essential support to young people at risk of homelessness in the West Midlands.
Great Birmingham Run x Ronald McDonald House charity 
On Sunday 5 May, three members of our project team took part in the Great Birmingham Half Marathon running for the local Ronald McDonald House charity.
The trio did an amazing job, all completing the half marathon and raising over £1,000 for the charity!
The Ronald McDonald House at Birmingham Children’s Hospital is one of their largest purpose-built accommodation facilities. In 2023, the house supported 1,097 families with the longest family stay being 369 nights.
As an independent charity, RMHC rely on the support and generosity of volunteers, fundraisers and donors to make this all possible.
Birmingham Blaze Football Club
We have also been supporting Birmingham Blaze Football Club who are a community led football club offering the chance for LGBTQ+ people and allies the chance to play the fame in a safe, inclusive space without fear of facing abuse.
They run their 'football to all' sessions on Wednesdays from 7:00pm to 8:00pm, with the focus being on creating a community players can feel a part of. Sessions are:
- free
- open to all abilities
VolkerFitzpatrick and Taziker sponsored Birmingham Blaze’s banner for Birmingham’s Pride weekend on Saturday 25 May, as well as their ‘football for all’ sessions.
Find out more about Birmingham Blaze FC
Equiano Plus Project
We invited members of the Equiano Plus Project to visit site and gain further insight into the project and its impact on the community. The Equiano Plus Project, operated by JERICHO, supports survivors of modern slavery with employment to health and wellbeing.
The visit included a presentation on the works we are undertaking on the project, and the different career paths available in the construction and engineering industries.
We also had an induction from one of our supply chain partners, MRS Training and Rescue, who were able to explain the importance of safety when working in confined spaces.
Visitors shared their aspirations and how the Equiano Plus Project has helped them, with further discussions on how we can support the project in the future.
Easter egg collection
Throughout March, the team at the A38 were collecting Easter eggs.
We collected an impressive 101 eggs which meant we were able to share these between three fantastic charities local to the project:
- JERICHO’s Equiano Plus
- Nechells POD
- St Basils
Open Doors
For the second year running, we were able to host students at VolkerFitzpatrick Ltd's A38(M) Tame Valley Viaduct project as part of Build UK's Open Doors event.
We held 3 sessions over the week and over 30 students from Aston University attended.
We were blown away by their engagement during each session and the fantastic questions asked while delivering the presentation and taking them out on site to see the structure.
Raising money for Cancer Research UK
At the end of February, 10 members of the project team took part in the 10K Winter Run in London to raise money for Cancer Research UK. 
The team managed to raise over £1,200 for this fantastic cause.
All team members enjoyed the atmosphere and had great runs, with several personal bests and all members completing the run in under an hour!
It was a great effort from all. Over 20,000 people took part in the run, raising more than £723,000 for Cancer Research UK so far.
The Envision Programme
For the last few months, several members of the project team have been working with a local school on a mentoring programme called Envision.
Envision empowers young people from less advantaged backgrounds to develop essential skills and confidence through a cross-school active citizenship competition. We were paired with 10 students from a local school and since October, over 50 hours have been volunteered by the team to mentor and support the students with designing, developing and delivering a social action project to make a positive difference in their school community.
The final session was held this month at Birmingham City football Ground, where the students delivered their pitch to a panel of judges and in front of 4 other local schools, their mentors and teachers who have all taken part in the programme too.
The sessions have been well received by both the mentors and students and there has been a definite improvement in the young peoples’ confidence and be able to express their ideas. The team were so proud of the young people who worked hard to improve their communication, determination, creativity and teamwork throughout the programme.
Page last updated: 10 April 2025
