EVER since the words ‘corporate social responsibility’ first appeared in business mission statements, companies – large and small – have realised there are significant benefits to ‘giving back’ to the community.

For Anthony McAteer and the team at Storage Vault Work Space, which has an impressive track record of supporting charities and organisations local to their regional offices, it is about much more than raising brand awareness.

“Over the last few years, we have reached out to different groups and charities, to try and support them in a variety of ways,” he explains.

“We don’t want to be a faceless organisation that is distant from the people who work for us or who live in the communities surrounding our offices.

“There is a really strong culture of community engagement amongst the companies we support so it’s something we feel very passionate about.”

The Herald:

Anthony McAteer

Storage Vault Work Space was created to support small and developing companies by providing high-quality office, storage and studio spaces on the most flexible of terms.

Its facilities boast all business amenities required to assist companies to flourish and operate without crushing property overheads.

With 10 operational sites and 10 more in development, the company is rapidly expanding but, as McAteer explains, has never lost sight of its ‘local’ outlook.

“Even though we are a big company now, each individual base is a ‘local’ business and it engages with the community around it,” he says.

“Most of our customers come from within three to five miles of each site, so it’s important to us to create that kind of atmosphere.”

In recent years, Storage Vault Work Space has forged relationships with a range of charities and grass-roots organisations.

The company was the official sponsor of Facebay Fundraising, an initiative which encourages people to donate unwanted possessions which are then sold to raise money for the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow.

During the Rainbow Ramble (a 3K race around Paisley’s Ferguslie Gardens, where participants were showered with powdered paint) last year, staff raised more than £1000 for Accord Hospice.

And the company supported PEEK’s 18th birthday FUNraising event in October. PEEK (Possibilities for Each and Every Kid) helps children and young people across Scotland, boosting self-esteem, improving health and fitness and reducing anti-social behaviour.

Staff have also teamed up with Volunteer Glasgow, one afternoon a month, to lend a helping hand to charities in need of extra support.

But as 2019 gets underway, McAteer explains the big focus for the year ahead will be on homelessness.

“This is the big issue we want to tackle,” he explains. “I see it every day, on my way in to work and it seems like there are more people on the streets than ever before.

“We are working with several organisations which support homeless people, and they tell us how bad the situation has become.”

The team are already supporting several charities and not for profit groups across Paisley and Glasgow, including A Helping Hand Paisley which provides hot food, teas and coffees, clothing, bedding and shoes to people in need and Paisley Back to School Bank, which helps struggling families with new school uniforms, PE kits and other school basics most families take for granted.

In Glasgow, the company supports Homeless Street Team Glasgow who hand out food, hot drinks, toiletries and clothing to homeless people on the streets of the city centre and in Cambuslang, they help All2gether Now, a community group which collects donations of clothing and toiletries and distributes them to homeless people every Monday evening.

“Our staff have been fantastic – as well as raising money by taking part in events, they give up their time to volunteer for some of the causes,” says McAteer.

“The bigger picture is that this is the right thing to do and the people who work for us understand that. The wellbeing and satisfaction of our customers and of our own employees is our priority and we want to take this a step further - reflecting this care for the success and happiness of other people outwith our ordinary operations, and helping to make a difference.”

He adds: “Jobseekers are looking for employers who are committed to supporting the community and giving something back – and from an employer’s point of view, someone who has researched our business and wants to work for us because we have a social conscience is exactly the kind of person we want working with us.”