Looking Back & Looking Forward with Vision!

As we come to the end of the year at Vision Arch we are looking back at our successes and the things we're proud of in 2023, and there are lots of them!

It's been a great year for certifications and accreditations, reflecting the “striving for excellence” that is part of the culture at Vision Arch. We were re-accredited for ISO 14001, ISO 45001 and ISO 9001, and our factory at Mildenhall had a 3-day audit which resulted in it being added to the accreditation too, which is great news.

And that's not forgetting our Investors in People accreditation, another achievement we are so proud of. Vision Arch has a people-centred culture, recognising the importance of meaningful and fulfilling work for all of the team. We celebrated this at our very successful staff day out this year at the Newmarket races. We want people to be able to say ‘that’s a Vision Arch person’ when they meet our employees.

We’ve also been really busy with our ESG efforts. As we mentioned in our social media posts at the time, we achieved carbon neutrality at every level of our organisation! Following a thorough assessment of our emissions, we offset 33 tonnes of carbon dioxide each month through carbon offset credits using the ‘Gold Standard’ Community Based Carbon Reduction Project scheme. 

We’ve sponsored BookTrust, an organisation which reaches millions of under privileged children each year with books and resources to support reading for pleasure, something which has been shown to improve the life outcomes of children on almost every metric, whether it be health, happiness, or material success.

We’ve also sponsored East Anglia Children’s Hospice, again a cause which is close to our hearts. The charity supports families and cares for children with life-threatening conditions across Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk.

Other charity events which we have been closely involved with this year include participating in the Wates Women and Allies Charity Walk in support of PAPYRUS Prevention of Young Suicide. I was delighted, along with the Vision Arch team, to be a part of the Wates Group network and to have participated in the annual walk.

As well as this we sponsored the “Dave Wightman Classic Invitational" for the second consecutive year in memory of Dave Wightman who sadly lost his battle with cancer in September 2020. This year's event, which was held at the Colne Valley Golf Course, was made even more memorable by members of the Vision Arch team participating in the competition.

And did we mention that all of our leadership team are now certified MHFAiders? This means that they have undergone training with Mental Health First Aid England to recognise those that may be experiencing poor mental health and provide them with first-level support and early intervention. This is fundamental to our people-centred culture at Vision Arch, especially in an age where workplace mental health has increasingly become a priority. 

And looking forward for a moment, one of our project directors, Jeremy Moore, will be participating in the London Marathon 2024, raising money for the Mental Health Foundation. We look forward with excitement to this and all the other opportunities in the year ahead. 

Wishing you and all of our customers and suppliers a very merry Christmas & a happy new year, and all the best in 2024!