As part of a company-wide focus on supporting communities, energy provider Centrica is lending its support to a variety of projects through ‘The Big Difference’ – a scheme which encourages its employees to engage in a range of volunteering and fundraising opportunities within their local areas.   

The Big Difference was born from a shift in priorities last year which saw the company move from a national approach to charity fundraising, to mobilising employees to get involved in local causes they care passionately about. Focussing on the key issues of tackling poverty, improving health, and supporting children and young people, these efforts are already making an impact in communities around the country.

Following an approach made to Withernsea High School, a team of eleven Centrica employees, including former students Erin Morley, Matt Rason and Tony Siddle, recently visited the school where they set to work refurbishing the school’s courtyard area – a key feature of the original 1950s building – which is now being transformed for use as an outdoor classroom.

Traditionally offering a quiet and reflective space, where several memorials to former staff and students are located, the courtyard has, for many years, experienced infrequent use – largely remaining closed off to the school community due to a number of safety and logistical reasons.   

However, thanks to the efforts of Centrica, whose team of volunteers have completed remedial works to make the space safe and useable once again, new life has now been breathed into the courtyard for the benefit of the school’s ERP (Enhanced Resource Provision) unit - a dedicated provision for students who struggle with mainstream schooling.

Opened last September, the unit currently caters for twelve full-time learners with Social and Emotional Mental Health (SEMH) needs – a type of Special Educational Need where a child can often have difficulties in managing their emotions or behaviour, causing them to feel scared, anxious or misunderstood.

Students are supported through individual EHCP (Education Health and Care) Plans which describe their needs, the support they require, and the outcomes they would like to achieve. Crucially, the support of this process within the ERP unit means that students are able to continue their education in a mainstream school, with a view of eventual reintegration back into regular classroom settings. 

ERP Manager and SENCO (Special Educational Needs Coordinator) John Blades said: “We offer a bespoke curriculum, differentiated to the needs of each individual learner, with the aim of helping them regain access to main school lessons to learn alongside their peers. To help prepare them for this, a number of students currently enjoy a package of hybrid learning which sees them split their time between the ERP unit and mainstream lessons.

The new outdoor classroom will complement this by offering the students ownership of a breakout space for the benefit of their mental health and well-being at times of sensory overload. As an oasis of calm, it will provide a safe place where students can self-regulate before returning back to their classroom. It will also offer students an opportunity to enjoy hands-on learning that teaches self-sufficiency and adaptation to different forms of learning.”

Featuring four raised beds, with their timber frames renewed and each of them dug over by the Centrica team, the courtyard garden is already being used by students to grow their own herbs, plants and vegetables. Through cross-curricular working with the school’s DT faculty, where Food and Nutrition forms part of the main curriculum, the ERP students will soon be given a chance to turn their homegrown produce into tasty, healthy meals.

The courtyard will also become a haven for wildlife, with the planting of flowers set to entice bees and other insects as part of students’ exploration of environmental studies. To support this, a bid has been submitted to the Woodlands Trust, the UK’s largest woodland conservation charity, to secure bushes and trees to further help enhance the new area.

With students already actively engaged in developing their new outside classroom, and enjoying the benefits of its calming influence, their response to the project has been overwhelmingly positive. Reflecting on this impact, Mr Blades said: “The students are happy to be outdoors and are excited to see their plans develop into visual successes. From a sensory point of view, they’re enjoying getting their hands dirty and are really thriving on the new experiences that this project is bringing them.

We are finding that students enjoy being alone out there, where they can de-stress in a calming environment away from the confines of the classroom. This has also sparked creativity, with students taking time to sit and draw – using their new garden area as inspiration.

This approach to learning is helping to equip them with the essential skills of independence and resilience that they can transfer to their other studies which will ultimately guide them back to mainstream lessons.”

The success of the ERP unit as a whole can be attributed to many factors, including staff’s ‘trauma-informed’ approach when dealing with students’ emotional outbursts. Rather than reprimanding such behaviour, the trauma-informed approach seeks to build trust while helping the individual to understand and respond to the impact of trauma – finding ways to cope, move forwards and recover.

Mr Blades added: “We are delighted with the impact that we’ve made so far this year. There is positive engagement in classes and an increase in attendance - with students really starting to thrive. They are demonstrating a real sense of belonging, with a purposeful presence in lessons.

Key to this success is a positive relationship with parents/carers which is crucial for all involved. We are delighted to hold half-termly engagement events which are well-attended and allow us to welcome parents/carers into school, both to celebrate the successes of their children, and to showcase the excellent work that is being done by our dedicated team of staff.

We look forward to promoting our new courtyard garden at the next engagement event.”

Deputy Headteacher Beci Pindar said: “For our ERP students, we recognised that there was a need for adding some outdoor learning to their bespoke programme of schooling. As an underused area with a lot of potential, we felt that the courtyard was the perfect place where their curriculum could be expanded, new opportunities created and where practical skills could be nurtured and developed.   

When Centrica contacted us offering support as part of their community outreach work, the refurbishment of the courtyard seemed like the perfect project for them to tackle. We are extremely grateful for the time, resources and hard work that the team have committed to help make our vision for an outdoor classroom a reality.”

Tony Siddle, Asset Manager at Centrica, added: “As a former pupil of Withernsea High School, I am really pleased that we were able to help make a small improvement that the current pupils will benefit from. Our employer, Centrica, encourages all of its employees to spend time and effort helping out in the local community. 

Everyone taking part put in a hard day’s work. We repointed and secured the paved area, replaced rotten timbers in raised beds, planted out a couple of the beds to brighten them up, whilst leaving the others freshly dug for the pupils to plant out themselves.  All the volunteers really enjoyed their day, and we were well looked after by the school.”

Centrica’s community partnerships cover three key areas: helping people with their energy today, building a more sustainable energy future for tomorrow, and making a ‘big difference’ in its local communities.

Last year the company launched a British Gas Winter Fund to help combat fuel poverty, and a sponsored programme called ‘Energy for Tomorrow’ - awarding funds and advice to community organisations combatting climate change and reducing energy costs.

With the head office of Centrica Storage located in Hessle, and with operational sites situated at the Easington Terminal and offshore at the Rough platform, the company is a familiar presence across East Yorkshire and beyond. Their deep-rooted connection to Holderness has led to other local initiatives to help our community through their ‘Big Difference’ scheme, including beach clean-ups and refurbishment of local sporting facilities. 

Centrica’s long-term aim is to establish a world scale hydrogen production and storage facility in the area, bolstering the UK’s energy security, boosting local employment opportunities, and helping to deliver a net zero electricity system by 2035.

 ABOVE: The team with Mark Crofts, Headteacher, after a hard day’s work.

ABOVE: One of the dug over, and freshly-planted, flower beds.

ABOVE: The team replaced rotten timbers on existing raised beds.

ABOVE: Wet weather didn’t deter the Centrica team who soon got to work with the task at hand.




ABOVE:  Blank canvas. The team set to work repointing the paving slabs and preparing the raised beds.