For the last ten years, VolkerRail has been supporting Bluebell Wood through VolkerWessels UK’s Close Call scheme. Close calls are accidents and incidents waiting to happen. The scheme encourages employees to proactively report any safety concerns on anything they feel has the potential to cause personal injury, damage or that could impact the safety of our sites and anyone affected by our operations.

Employees raise close calls digitally, through a mobile close call reporting app, and each close call raised is then reviewed, and actions are put in place to ‘close out’ the close call - removing the potential for an incident/accident.

For every close call raised, VolkerWessels UK donates £1 to charity. 50% goes to VolkerWessels UK's corporate charity, Samaritans, and the other 50% is given to VolkerFitzpatrick, VolkerRail, VolkerStevin, VolkerHighways and VolkerLaser -depending on the number of close calls raised - for them to donate to a local good cause.

On top of this, VolkerRail also donates a further £1 for every close call which is closed out. Last year, 28,392 close calls were raised across VolkerWessels UK. £14,196 has since been donated to Samaritans, with a further £14,196 split across Dementia UK, Bluebell Wood, St Richards Hospice, Counselling in the Community and the Broxbourne Mayor’s charities.

VolkerRail raised 9,009 of these close calls, with 8,553 having since been closed out.Therefore, VolkerRail is donating £13,867 to Bluebell Wood; money raised solely through the close calls raised by employees in 2021. This takes the total raised for the charity, over the last decade through the scheme, to £69,421.

Stuart Webster-Spriggs, VolkerRail HSQES director, said: “VolkerRail is committed to raising the profile of close call reporting, so that we can reduce the number of accidents/incidents in the workplace. Every close call reported and closed is another potential accident and incident prevented.”

Adrian Shah-Cundy, VolkerWessels UK’s corporate responsibility director, said: “The support and facilities provided by Bluebell Wood is unquestionably important to families going through some extremely difficult times. VolkerRail’s donations and long-standing relationship with Bluebell Wood offers the opportunity to help ensure their work continues to support families in their time of need. We are grateful to be able to support such a significant community service.”

Robert Langley, communications officer for Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice, said: “VolkerRail is an outstanding charity partner for Bluebell Wood, and we can’t thank the team enough for their generosity and community spirit over the past ten years.

“As a charity we need to raise over £5m each year to keep our doors open for the children and families who need us, so this latest phenomenal donation will make a real difference to people going through the toughest times imaginable.”