Stonewater customers graduate from second Sustainable Futures programme

A group of Stonewater customers have graduated from the second cohort of the housing provider’s Sustainable Futures programme, aimed at building knowledge and confidence around environmental sustainability and the role housing can play in tackling climate change.

The free training initiative, delivered through Stonewater’s Greenoak Centre of Excellence, helps customers develop a deeper understanding of sustainability issues affecting their homes, communities and the wider environment, while also helping build knowledge that could support future employment or volunteering opportunities.

Eight customers from across England completed the latest programme, taking part in a series of sessions exploring topics including energy efficiency, fuel poverty, biodiversity and sustainable supply chains.

Reflecting on the programme, Brian, a customer from the second cohort, said: "I found the course to be exciting and full of content. On a personal level, it gave me access to resources for much more understanding about climate change and researched material. I now have the confidence to put into action things within my capacity to reduce energy poverty in my house.”

Sessions were delivered virtually by Stonewater colleagues alongside external sustainability specialists, such as National Energy Action and Stonewater partners such as Fortem, a construction and property services company. The free programme is open to all Stonewater customers. Stonewater supports customers with the provision of digital equipment and WiFi, if required, so there are no barriers to participation. This additional provision is delivered through Stonewater’s partnership with We Are Group. The overall programme has been valued at £11,713 in social value for the 2025–26 cohort using the HACT tool.

One participant from the first cohort, Reda, returned to the programme’s final session to share how the training helped inspire her to pursue new career opportunities. After completing Sustainable Futures, Reda explored roles where she could use her new skills and has since begun studying for an accountancy qualification, supported in part by grant funding through Stonewater’s partner charity, The Longleigh Foundation.

Emily Stockford,  Sustainability Strategy Manager at Stonewater, said: “It’s been really encouraging to see that more customers were enthusiastic to learn about sustainability and how it links to their homes and communities. We were able to use feedback from the first programme to tailor the sessions even further, incorporating new timings and more interactive activities, to increase engagement.

“Supporting customers to learn more about sustainability is an important part of Stonewater’s wider journey towards our net zero ambitions. By sharing knowledge and creating opportunities for people to engage with environmental issues, we can help ensure the transition to greener homes benefits everyone.”

Participants were recently asked to provide feedback on Stonewater’s new environmental strategy, giving them a chance to contribute to the actions that Stonewater will undertake across the next five years.

Following the success of the first two cohorts, Stonewater started recruiting for the third cohort of its Sustainable Futures programme in March 2026.