One of Crawley’s most established companies embarks on an exciting new chapter in its 80th year.

This is a far cry from how it all started, founded for social good way back in 1942. The nation was in the grip of World War Two when employer federations and unions set up Buildings and Civil Engineering, with the aim of giving greater financial security to construction workers by providing them with paid time off work, through a simple stamp system. By the 1950s, this scheme had supported more than a million people, many of whom had played a vital role in the rebuild of post war Britain. Continuing with its aim to help workers build financially stronger lives, it introduced other benefits to meet their financial needs, from life and accident cover to the largest stakeholder pension scheme in the UK.It now provides The People’s Pension to millions of people working across all sectors. This was launched in 2012 to coincide with the introduction of automatic enrolment, that saw every worker aged 22 and above and earning £10,000 a year or more from one job, be enrolled into a pension scheme by their employer.Patrick Heath-Lay, Chief Executive Officer of People’s Partnership, says: “The purpose and principles our business was founded upon 80 years ago remain, and will take us into our future. We were set up for social good, providing greater financial security for construction workers by supporting those who didn’t have access to something as basic as a paid holiday. Although we have grown considerably and now serve millions of people across all sectors, our customers remain our main focus, and whatever we do, that will never change.”In 1963, the company moved from London to Crawley, where it has remained for the past six decades, playing a significant role in town and community life. Each year, employees select a charity to support for 12 months through a variety of fundraising activities.In recent years, local good causes to have benefited include Search Dogs Sussex, Holbrook Animal Rescue and Golden Lion Children's Trust. The current charity of the year is Olive Tree Support Centre, which has already received nearly £1,400 thanks to donations from the company, a charity football match involving staff at Crawley Town and a bake-off event. Earlier this year, the company made a donation to homeless charity, Crawley Open House, to help fund its new build resource centre at its Three Bridges headquarters, and to celebrate its 80th anniversary it donated a total of £10,000 to three charities.Mr Heath-Lay says: “Although we are a national company, we are hugely proud of being part of the Crawley success story, which has seen it become the heart of industry and business within our region. It’s incredibly important that we give back, so each year our staff tell us which good cause they want to support and we also give them the time to volunteer with charities and organisations that are important to them. Community is embedded within the company’s DNA and we have always understood that, as a major local employer, we have a responsibility to support local people and good causes.”The company is also well known for its Charitable Trust, which was set up in 1991 to support the construction industry. During that time the Charitable Trust has given away millions of pounds to individuals and organisations in the form of grants.Mr Heath-Lay, who has spent his entire career with the company, with the last 10 years at the helm, says the change of name was a statement of intent rather than a rebrand and reflects how, through The People’s Pension, the organisation now serves people working in every industry, not just construction.He says: “While we are deeply proud of our roots, this is a name change that makes perfect sense, because we’ve always been the people’s partner and we’re committed to providing straightforward, accessible, trusted products which help everyone build strong financial foundations for life. In some ways, People’s Partnership is almost unrecognisable from its early self, but in others it is entirely familiar. Despite the changes within and around us, our approach, our values and our priorities have remained the same, with our fantastic team living those values every day.”The success of The People’s Pension over the past decade, means that People’s Partnership continues to grow its team and attracts talent from the local area and beyond. It employs a wide range of specialists, including those who work in customer services, marketing, human resources, project management and development, investments, IT and marketing.The company recently made an additional payment to a proportion of its staff to help towards the increase in the cost of living.Deborah Finlayson, the Chief Human Resources Officer, said: “People are at the heart of everything we do as our team is integral to the exceptional service and products we offer and deliver to our members every day.“We pride ourselves on creating an inclusive and diverse workplace, where everyone feels welcome and is encouraged to flourish and harness their true potential. Our people’s wellbeing is paramount as is supporting career progression across the company.”