Good news stories
YMCA Sutton Coldfield defibrillator donation
YMCA Sutton Coldfield defibrillator donation We recently put out an advert on Match My Project for a brand-new defibrillator available to be donated to a local VCSE in Birmingham. YMCA Sutton Coldfield contacted us and explained it would be a great addition to their day centre on Fosseway Drive, Erdington. YMCA Sutton Coldfield is a long established local charity supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged young people across Sutton Coldfield, Erdington, and North Birmingham. They provide services such as youth work, family support, disability projects, young carers support, and affordable accommodation. The team were extremely grateful for the donation and will ensure this resource is available within the community, should it ever be needed. 
Jaffray Care Activity Hub – sensory garden volunteering
Between October 2025 and February 2026, 14 members of the A38(M) project team contributed a total of 139.5 hours of volunteering, and donated over £1,200 in materials to support with the renovations of the garden at the Jaffray Care Activity Hub.
Jaffray Care is a Birmingham-based care charity that runs several care homes and services across the city, supporting adults with a range of care needs, including:
- physical or mental disabilities
- learning difficulties
- age-related problems
The Activity Hub, based in Erdington, offers a day service for adults who need a little bit of extra help, providing a space to:
- build skills
- take part in activities
- reduce social isolation
- connect with their community
The works included:
- removing old hedges, brickwork and furniture that that had been worn down and damaged over time
- laying fresh grass turf, where the hedges and brickwork had been
- constructing planters using recycled scaffolding boards leftover from site, which were built to a height that would be accessible for wheelchair users
Finally, the fence, which had been stained by the hedges, was given a bright new lick of paint, with the planters painted to match.
The garden will provide the service users of Jaffray Care’s Activity Hub with a space to connect with nature and take part in outdoor activities.
The team received the following feedback:
On behalf of everyone at Jaffray Care, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to the A38(M) team for their outstanding support in renovating the garden at our Activity Hub in Erdington, Birmingham. Almost 140 hours of volunteering and over £1,200 in donated materials is an extraordinary contribution. From removing worn hedges and damaged brickwork to laying fresh turf, constructing accessible raised planters, and repainting the fence to brighten the whole space — the care, thought and teamwork behind this project truly shows.
Children's Book Project volunteering days
On Wednesday 21 January and Wednesday 11 February 2026, the project team volunteered to support the Children's Book Project in Birmingham.
5 volunteers supported on each of the days, which involved:
- picking and packing for local primary schools
- sorting through donated pre-loved books
- creating bunting for their ‘pop-up book shop’ packs, which are sent to local schools along with the books
Between the 2 days, we sorted over 5,500 books, with over 6,000 books packed for 8 different primary schools in Birmingham. Over 3,000 children in these schools will receive 2 books to take home with them, to help support and develop their literacy skills and foster a love of reading.
Birmingham faces a significant child poverty crisis, with around 47% of children living in poverty (some wards are approaching 70%), which is significantly higher than the national average. Half of Birmingham's wards ranking in the top 10% for literacy difficulty in England.
The work the Children's Book Project are doing is so invaluable and changing young peoples' lives. It was a pleasure to be able to support such a worthwhile charity.
Envision Mentoring Programme – judging panel
On Thursday 22 January, our stakeholder and social value manager was invited to be part of the judging panel for the autumn 25 cohort of the Envision Mentoring Programme, marking the 4th year that the project has supported the charity.
Envision empower young people from less-advantaged backgrounds, who are often underrepresented in the world of work, to develop the essential skills and confidence proven to support their:
- education
- employment
- wellbeing
They partner each team of young people, led by an envision programme coordinator, with a team of mentors from a local business to design and deliver a social action project that makes a positive change in their school or college community.
Previously, the A38(M) project team team have taken part as mentors for 3 separate cohorts from Ark Victoria Academy.
5 local schools within Birmingham went head-to-head presenting their social action projects which they had worked extremely hard on over the last 12 weeks, as well as building on, and improving, their essential skills, including:
- communication
- determination
- creativity
- teamwork
The standard of presentations from the young people was outstanding. Their creativity, insight, and compassion in tackling societal challenges they felt are a priority within their schools was genuinely moving. Watching them approach complex topics with such empathy and openness was a powerful reminder that this is exactly the kind of mindset more people should bring to conversations.
All young people did an incredible job and were able to answer questions the judges put to them on the spot.
Abigail said:
I'm so grateful for your continued support. We loved working in partnership with VolkerFitzpatrick and hugely appreciate you still championing us and our work across the Midlands personally! Thank you for all you've done to support these young people thrive.
Toys4Children Christmas Appeal – Thrive Together Birmingham
Throughout November and December, the project team ran a collection for children’s toys, to support Thrive Together Birmingham’s Toys4Children appeal.
Thrive Together Birmingham is a local charity that works with community organisations, businesses, churches and local groups with the aim of tackling poverty and improving wellbeing across Birmingham. Their annual Toys4Children collection is run in partnership with local organisations to support families experiencing hardship who are unable to afford Christmas presents for their children. Partners include:
- Warwickshire Cricket Foundation
- Birmingham Play Care Network
- Birmingham Mail
- Edgbaston Stadium
The appeal supports:
- families living in temporary accommodation
- families experiencing severe financial hardship
- families affected by domestic violence, crisis situations or displacement
- refugee families
- families seeking asylum
This year, 14,500 toys and gifts were donated, reaching 109 charities, groups and projects supporting families in Birmingham, with the project team providing 40 toys valued at £396 in total. 7 members of the project team also volunteered to support the collection, sorting through donations, packing and delivering the gifts to the local community organisations and charities.
Spaghetti Junction Competition 2025
On Thursday 11 December, we held our third and final annual Spaghetti Junction Competition.
Teams from across the site were invited to take part, building their own versions of the junction and the A38(M) out of packets of spaghetti, tinned foods and other non-perishable goods, which had been donated by the project team.
We managed to raise a total of 510 items, with a value of £365 which were then donated to Aston and Nechells Foodbank to support those over Christmas struggling to provide for their families.
A huge thank you to our project team who took part for their incredible generosity and support for the local community.
Macmillan Winter Warmer Care Package Campaign
On Wednesday 17 December, we delivered a total of 17 care packages which had been assembled from £150 worth of donations, to support Green Lane Mosque's Macmillan Cancer Support Service in Small Heath, Birmingham.
The campaign, which is run nationally by Macmillan, links local Macmillan services to organisations to provide those in the local area who are battling cancer with a package of different necessities and goodies to help them as they access support and treatment, including:
- bamboo cutlery
- skincare
- non-perishable foods
- tote bags to help them carry items to and from appointments
- activity books
The GINA project donation
In November, the project donated £3,300 worth of marketing materials to The GINA Project, a Birmingham-based social enterprise and CIC that supports women who have experienced sexual violence or abuse, offering counselling services and tailored educational resources to individuals and organisations.
GINA is the only private specialist support provider in the UK that offers services to women who have experienced sexual trauma, and provides 440 counselling sessions per year, both within the City Centre and at the University of Birmingham. The marketing materials donated will be used by their staff and handed out at events they attend to help them raise awareness of their organisation and the work that they do for vulnerable women in the community.
As a small-non profit supporting women subjected to sexual violence and abuse, the generous donation of products from VolkerFitzpatrick has meant the world to us. The wide range of products featuring our logo has enabled us to ensure our stalls at events in our community are welcoming and engaging; this is especially important to us as it ensures women who may need our support approach us. We are incredibly grateful for this generous donation and support. It supports us in our mission to ensure women subjected to sexual violence and abuse are heard, believed, understood and supported.
Fareshare Midlands volunteering
On Friday, 3 October and Monday, 24 November, the A38(M) Tame Valley Viaduct Project team spent two days volunteering to support FareShare Midlands, the UK's leading charity combating hunger and food waste. FareShare accepts donations of surplus food from farms, manufacturers, and supermarkets, redistributing it to local charities, schools, and not-for-profits to provide their beneficiaries with a range of nutritious meals.
Across the two days, a total of 14 members of the project team took part, assisting with tasks such as sorting food donations for redistribution, picking and packing orders and loading these onto cages and pallets, as well as supporting with stock rotation and inventory.
We helped to distribute 4,500 meals in total across the two sessions, which really set home the impact and severity of food poverty and waste, and the importance of the work that FareShare do to support those in need within the communities they work in.
St Basils Big Sleepout 2025
On Friday 28 November, 7 members of the project team took part in the St Basils Big Sleepout 2025.The event had over 300 people taking part from 6pm to 6am at Birmingham’s Millennium Point to raise awareness and money for St Basils, a local homeless charity supporting young people aged 16-25 years old.
The team have raised over £1,230, with the event raising an impressive total of £43,000 for the charity, which will go towards St Basils' mission to help young people at risk of homelessness. It enables them to find and keep a home, grow their confidence, develop their skills, increase opportunities and prevent homelessness.
St Basils house over 600+ young people every single night across their 40+ supported accommodation schemes. They offer a range of outreach, advice, support, accommodation, employability and engagement services to help young people regain the stability they need to rebuild their lives, gain skills, confidence and employment and move on.
Birmingham MIND Mental Elf 2025
On Sunday, 30 November, 7 members of the project team took part in MIND Birmingham's third annual Mental Elf Festive Fun Run, which we also acted as a corporate sponsor for. 3 team members took part in the run itself, with 4 of the team also signed up to volunteer to support the event, carrying out tasks such as setting up and tidying away, registering participants and acting as route marshals. 400 attendees in total took part in the run, raising over £10,000 to support MIND Birmingham and the range of services they offer in Birmingham to support those struggling with their mental health, including their helpline and talking spaces, as well as residential care and supported accommodation for those with higher levels of care need.
Bethel Health and Healing Network
The Bethel Health and Healing Network in Birmingham is a registered charity that provides holistic health and wellbeing services, particularly for vulnerable pregnant women, new mothers, and individuals struggling with mental health. The charity offers two main services: their doula service, which provides support to vulnerable pregnant women and new mothers, and their Rapha Listening Service, which provides 1-2-1 counselling and group sessions for low-level mental health problems.
On 14 October, VolkerFitzpatrick donated a total of £8,000 to the charity to support these two vital initiatives, which provide invaluable support to vulnerable pregnant women within Birmingham, with the aim of helping to lower infant mortality rates, which are notably higher in Birmingham than the UK average.
Nottingham Trent University - ‘Day in the Life of a QS’ Event
Between 6 and 10 October, VolkerFitzpatrick hosted its second ‘Day in the Life of a QS’ Event, in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University (NTU). Over the course of the three days, the project hosted a total of 50 Year 3 students undertaking a degree in Quantity Surveying and Commercial Management at NTU, who had the opportunity to visit the site, take part in a variety of workshops and learn more about how to apply the skills and knowledge they have learnt through their course into practice, with tasks set for them by the Commercial team. This is the second year that the project has hosted this event for NTU students and is one of many site visits we have held for students who are interested in the construction industry throughout the duration of the project.
Together Tennis CIC donation 
The A38(M) VolkerFitzpatrick team have donated a total of £1,190 to Together Tennis CIC, a community interest company set up in January 2022 by Carolle and Iman, which aims to deliver free tennis sessions to women and children from diverse backgrounds.
Together Tennis:
- runs inclusive tennis programmes for all ages and skill levels
- promotes community engagement through sport, and opens tennis up to a wider audience within the local area
VolkerFitzpatrick’s donation will go towards sponsoring a month of court hire for the group, as well as purchasing an additional 70 tennis balls, helping Together Tennis to continue to deliver the invaluable sessions they provide within Birmingham to women and children from a variety of backgrounds. Carolle and Iman, Together Tennis CIC said:
Abi and Grace from VolkerFitzpatrick were wonderful. We invited them to come and meet our tennis women and join in with a session here in Birmingham. And they did. It was so lovely to meet them and say thank you in person. VolkerFitzpatrick have supported us brilliantly and we are so grateful to them for helping us to continue our free and inclusive tennis programme aimed at boosting the physical and mental health of women and children from diverse communities in our city.
Canal and River Trust volunteering
On Monday, 18 August and 24 September, the site team took part in 2 volunteering days supporting the Canal and River Trust.
A total of 23 team members volunteered their time across 2 days, supporting with weeding, clearing vegetation and litter from the canals around Brindley Place and Small Heath, as well as maintaining their surrounding footpaths.
Over the course of the 2 days, we volunteered over 140 hours to support within the local area, assisting with the upkeep of these vital green spaces and ensuring that they are kept safe and clean for everyone within the community.
Canal and River Trust works on the canals and locks across the country, and relies on the support of volunteers to ensure that these spaces are kept in good working condition and help to protect the habitats from threats.
Birmingham Settlement poly tunnel volunteering
From Tuesday 23 September to Friday 26 September, 15 members of our site team volunteered a total of 194 hours to support Birmingham Settlement and the installation and set-up of their poly tunnel, which had been gifted to Birmingham Settlement to:
- enhance the centre’s green space
- support local food growing
- provide hands-on learning opportunities for residents
The volunteering activities began with ground preparation, which included a CAT and Genny scan of the area.
Our engineers, Ross and Liam, set out and levelled the locations for the 12 post holes, ensuring they were positioned correctly. Once marked, the holes were dug, and the posts were cemented securely into place.
Volunteers assembled the poly tunnel frame, adding additional bracing for stability, and a digger was used to excavate trenches on either side of the structure. The polythene cover was then carefully moved into position and secured.
Finally, the doors were constructed and hung, completing the installation.
Alex Howell, Sports and Community Centre Manager, said:
With thanks to VolkerFitzpatrick, we are now able to move forward with our community grow project. The project is aimed at all the people who attend our sports and community centre. The Poly Tunnel will give us the chance to help inspire and educate users to grow their produce, improve wellbeing and offer a chance for some of our younger visitors a chance to get out into the garden, in a safe and educational way. We are now looking at community allotment volunteers to lead our community grow with support from staff here at the centre. This project will allow us to lead on a number of workshops and groups, such as eco clubs, horticultural therapy, sense of belonging and pride of place. I would like to thank the guys from VolkerFitzpatrick, for all their hard work, effort, and professionalism in constructing our Poly Tunnel. We can now begin phase 2 of our project and look into ways into developing our eco offering to our community
Page last updated: 3 March 2026
