One of Britain’s largest trust ports is in the running for a national award following its record-breaking year in generating social value.
Harwich Haven Authority (HHA)’s work generated USD$6.89 million (£5.1million) in social value in 2024, representing a 20% increase on the previous year and the organization’s highest amount ever.
The trust port, which oversees 150 square miles of water off the East Anglian coast, has made social value a core tenet of the business, covering social, local and economic themes.
That work has seen it shortlisted for the SME & VCSE Leadership Award at this year’s Social Value Awards in Birmingham.
HHA uses the TOMs Framework, created by the Social Value Portal, to measure its impact across its key themes.
Highlights in 2024 included delivering more than USD$1.62m (£1.2m) towards the environment through its carbon reduction measures, while USD$4.33m (£3.2m) was delivered through employing locally for 108 full-time positions.
Other initiatives included the launch of its Coastal Discoveries project, giving more than 2,000 Key Stage 1 and 2 pupils the chance to take part in Beach School workshops.
Its staff also provided more than 125 hours of community project volunteering, while almost USD$81,100 (£60,000) was invested in local community projects.
The winner of this year’s award will be unveiled at the Social Value Awards final on Thursday, October 23.
