We’re committed to working with the rural communities where we deliver our services. Hosting and supporting community events, making donations and sponsorships to groups and good causes, as well as providing connectivity to community hubs, are already routinely delivered by us.
Now we have appointed a dedicated Social Values Manager to lead and develop the activity much further and ensure the communities we serve can grow and flourish.
We are working on the next chapter in executing a social value strategy, working with local authorities and delivery partners, that will create local jobs, develop skills and provide sustainable local growth in the hard-to-reach communities where we are building.
Julie Holmes has taken on the new role, bringing with her significant experience in the field and a keen focus on tackling poverty, unemployment and inequality.
She will be responsible for delivering the Quickline Social Impact Plan, and co-ordinating all the company’s community support activity.
“I’m overjoyed to have joined Quickline – a company that has social values at its core,” said Julie.
“Quickline has already done an incredible amount of good work in isolated, rural communities across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire that might otherwise have been left behind. “It’s now my mission to build on that work by ensuring we fully engage with all the communities we serve and support them by whatever means we can and help make a real difference to the lives of people living there.”
Julie previously spent 28 years at Leeds City Council. During her time working in the Housing Department – first as a Housing Officer and then a Tenant Engagement Officer – she managed a community budget and formed strong partnerships with the third sector and residents’ groups.
She also worked for construction company BAM Nutall in a stakeholder engagement and social values management role, playing an important role in liaising with stakeholders.
Julian Chalk, our Head of Engagement, said: “We’re delighted Julie has joined the Quickline team.
“She has a wealth of experience in social values and is passionate about supporting communities and bridging divides.
“Julie shares the Quickline ethos that no-one should be left behind and will now play a key role in making sure we have an even more positive impact on the rural communities we serve.”
We have already delivered activities and events in dozens of rural communities across Yorkshire and Lincolnshire including providing free internet connections to village halls and community hubs and donating IT kit for use by residents and community groups to develop their digital skills and create social meeting spaces for more local people.
Furthermore, this year we launched a new training and innovation centre enabling us to enhance relationships with potential future employees through engagement with students at local schools and colleges.
Our CEO Sean Royce said: “Here at Quickline, we appreciate and embrace our responsibility to support our communities.
“I want to create a team at Quickline that has responsibility for the delivery of our Social Impact Plan and embed it further into our business and our communities.
“Julie’s appointment as our new Social Values Manager is an important first step in building on the work we’ve already done and creating something unique and special.
“We have some really exciting projects coming up, which will make a real difference to the people living in those communities.”
