Connect Dacorum turns 18
On the 12th May 2024 Connect Dacorum celebrated its 18th birthday. We are proud to be Dacorum’s longest running networking group, but did you know we do much more than networking?
We also introduce companies to many socially responsible topics, including giving unwanted office equipment and furniture to local charities, offering technical experience, volunteering activities and team building opportunities, environmental advice and the employment of disabled or disadvantaged people. We also run various projects that your staff could get involved in with the local secondary schools.
We have been helping local businesses get involved in more charitable activities for nearly 2 decades. To see what impact we have made over that time, keep reading.
Networking events – 100, 6,000 attendances and connections made
Dragons Apprentice Challenge – 11 years, 727 students, £124,140 raised, 106 Businesses
Employability Days – 9 years, 3575 pupils, 340 facilitators, over 2000 hours volunteered
Company Volunteering Days – 19, 187 volunteers
Unwanted equipment – over 400 items redistributed
At our networking lunch in April, we celebrated organising 100 networking events and were joined by over 50 people which included Sir Mike Penning MP, Cllr Richard Roberts Leader of Hertfordshire County Council and Cllr Ron Tindall Leader of Dacorum Borough Council as well as local businesses and charities.
February 2004 – project started by Dacorum Borough Council to assist companies in developing and enhancing their community engagement.
12th May 2006 – Following the end of the funding, Community Action Dacorum took over the project and Connect Dacorum was launched.
December 2009 – The first Connect Dacorum / Dacorum Community Trusts’ Christmas Lunch
September 2012 – First Dragons Apprentice Challenge
September 2013 – Cindy Withey starts
January 2014 – move from four to six networking lunches a year
May 2014 – first employability day at Longdean School
12th May 2016 – 10th birthday celebrations at the Houses of Parliament
October 2018 – first Dacorum Schools Careers fair with stall from local businesses and over 1,000 students
2022 – Became a member of the University of Hertfordshire Business School Advisory Board
25th April 2024 – Held our 100th Networking event at Shendish Manor Hotel
Want to get involved? Email cindy@communityactiondacorum.org.uk or phone 01442 253935
