striving for a better future

Rivervale's strategies for positive change

Our Plan For Change

Here at Rivervale, we are committed to help make change on the subjects that really matter and that we all need to address. Our environmental, social and governance (ESG) plan is for the business to grow but consider these ESG factors at every step along the way.

We want to continue making a positive contribution to both society and the enironment and we have made a good start but there is still lots to do and achieve. Below covers just some of the areas that we have already made progress in...

Rivervale's plan for a sustainable, happier future

As we have grown as a company, so has our commitment to minimising our environmental impact, and driving social change to improve the mental health and wellbeing of our employees - we're always looking for new and improved ways to diminish the impact we are having on the planet, and further develop employee resources.

Rivervale House and BREEAM

In April 2015 when Rivervale were granted planning permission for Rivervale House, the journey to becoming a greener, more sustainable and environmentally friendly company really kicked off. As part of the agreement to proceed with the showroom, the organisation agreed to adhere and reach BREEAM certified standards for a sustainable built work environment. This included:

  • Using solutions to decarbonise the build in question
  • Using renewable energy where possible
  • Complying with biodiversity strategies to protect the surrounding nature and wildlife

Since then, we have continued to add practical initiatives throughout the working business such as increased recycling, organic clothing for uniform and future plans for more renewable energy sources.

Continued Charity Support

Throughout the year, we have supported multiple local charities. Our chosen ones being Rockinghorse Children's Charity, Chestnut Tree House and Love Local Jobs Foundation. We help support the various events and fundraisers they curate throughout the year, ranging from golf days to corporate dinners.

Our support to these charities is ever growing, below is a bit of information as to what they are achieving:

Rockinghorse Children's Charity

As the official fundraiser arm of the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital in Brighton, this charity play a huge role in providing the hospital life-saving medical equipment with the aim of improving the lvies of sick children through the Brighton and Sussex area.

www.rockinghorse.org.uk

Chestnut Tree House

The Chestnut Tree House is another Brighton / Sussex based charity, who also focus on the health and wellbeing on children in the area. With their focus being on young people with life-threatening conditions, they rely on the aid of local people and businesses to provide hopsice care for these children and their charities.

www.chestnut-tree-house.org-uk

Love Local Jobs Foundation

At Rivervale, we take diversity and oppertunities in the workplace seriously. This charity has a vision to raise the life and career aspirations of the youth of Sussex, and attempt to inspire them to be the best possible version of themselves they can be.

www.lovelocaljobsfoundation.com

71% EV Company Cars

There are massive environmental and economic benefits to electric vehicles, which is why we have started offering EVs as compnay cars to our staff! So far, 71% of Rivervale's company cars are electric vehicles.

Environment

Here at Rivervale, we are taking steps to reduce our carbon footprint; the introduction of electric company & courtesy cars, and installation of electric vehicle charging points at our HQ is just a start!

500+ Trees Planted

Rivervale formed a partnership with eforests in January 2021, to plant a tree for every Electric Vehicle leased through us. So far, we've planted around 540 trees, but that number keeps on growing!

Social

We strive to try take an active approach in supporting good mental health practise both in the office, and our local area.
We utilise the motor trade charity BEN to help us achieve these goals.

THREE CHOSEN CHARITIES

Our three local charities we support in fundraising and events are Rockinghorse Children's Charity, Chestnut Tree House and Love Local Jobs Foundation. To see more information about them, check out our plan!

5+ YEARLY EVENTS

From charity fundraisers, to golf days and corporate dinners. We have been involved with the local charities for years, and plan to be for years to come!

BREEAM STANDARDS

Moving into the Rivervale House allowed us to adhere to and reach BREEAM certified standards for sustainability, including energy usage, waste management, land use, ecology and much more.

Governance

Our move to the Rivervale House has allowed us to use BREEAM to monitor our sustainability values. It has allowed us to start moving towards achieving net-zero, as well as improving the well-being of our employees and supporting a circular economy.

EMPLOYEE WELLBEING

We work closely with the motor trade charity BEN, to help improve the health and wellbeing of our workforce.

For more information on what they do, check out their website here.

"We are delighted to be recognised as a forward thinking, environmentally conscious organisation however we all know that there is always more that can be done. We are exploring plans to further our renewable energy sources and continue to adapt to employee needs to ensure a healthy positive workforce and environment"

— Vince Pemberton
Chief Executive Officer, Rivervale

Vince Pemberton, Rivervale's Chief Executive Officer

Our Ventures

Here are some of Rivervale's case studies and projects

Young Minds and Rivervale

Young Minds

Part of our core values here are Rivervale is supporting our staff in any mental challenges they may face, which is why we took the oppertunity to give our full support to Young Minds. They are one of the UK's leading charities that fight for children and young people's mental health, and provide extensive support to those who need it most.


We would like to help them in their journey to achieving a world where no young person feels alone with their mental health, a key vision of the charity. You can check out some of the work and events they have been doing at their site, www.youngminds.org.uk.

Dare to Dream and Rivervale

Dare to Dream

Dare to Dream is an enriching programme, that challenges young people to change the way they think in their lives. Using themes of self-awareness, mindset, teamwork, employability and more, Dare to Dream are driving and motivating the local youth, and giving them the confidence they need to reach their full potentials.


We are extremely proud to be a part of this programme, where our role primarily involves sponsoring in schools across Brighton and the charity's various events. The programme fitted perfectly with our own companies core beliefs, so it was clear to use that this was an initiative we should get behind. Check the initiative out at www.lovelocaljobsfoundation.com/dare-to-dream.

Rivervale Maxus

Rivervale Maxus

In 2016, we joined the ever-growing Maxus commercial vehicle retail franchise, known as Rivervale Maxus. We offer their full suite of electric vehicles as well as full service and parts support through our service center.


There will be a huge positive environmental impact of shifting commercial vehicles to their EV equivalent, and so here at Rivervale we are pushing towards making electric vehicles of all types more accessible. This partnership has helped provide a wider variety of EV vehicles to our customers.

Rivervale Maxus

Charlton Athletic Community Trust

We have been an active sponsor for the Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) over the years, with our most recent involvement being providing them with a sponsored minibus to help them continue to offer community support and services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.


The minibus was and still is being put to excellent use, from helping coordinate pick ups and drop offs for hospital appointments for CACT memebers, to delivering food to those most in need during the peek of the pandemic. It is also the primary means of transport for the Upbeats, a local Down's Syndrome football team.

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