Community and education
Despite its overall size, Hanson operates, in effect, as a series of independent local businesses, providing jobs in mainly rural areas and playing a part in community affairs. Local managers are encouraged to build and maintain close links with neighbours and ensure the business remains both an accepted and acceptable part of the local community. Visits to Hanson sites, particularly from schools, are welcomed.
Through its Hanson in the community scheme, the company helps charities and voluntary groups around its sites and offices and supports initiatives that offer benefits to local people. There is also a charity matching scheme for Hanson employees, which can double any money that is raised for accepted charities.
Many of the company's quarries have local liaison committees comprising of councillors, residents and environmentalists. They meet regularly to bring forward and discuss issues of concern.
Understanding the role of minerals and their contribution to society is an important part of the education process and has wide-ranging applications to the National Curriculum.
Hanson's developing education strategy will provide an important resource for schools, with over 100 potential quarry sites to visit in the UK alone.
A visit to a working quarry gives students first-hand experience of the process of modern-day quarrying, the machinery, the type of clothing worn, the stringent health and safety measures and environmental safeguards. It can also be linked closely to key areas of the National Curriculum.
Study centres
In addition to our quarries, we are able to offer three field study centres for education.
The fully-equipped East Mendip study centre at Whatley quarry, near Frome, in Somerset, operated by the Mendip Quarry Producers' Association, has two full-time teaching staff to lead the day's activities. Field work takes place over large areas of land, with woodland, streams and both former and current quarry workings.
The Hanson environmental study centre at Great Linford, near Milton Keynes, encompasses a nature reserve based around an extensive area of old sand and gravel workings.
Hanson also supports the Austerfield field study centre, near Doncaster in Yorkshire, which is sited alongside a Hanson sand quarry.