Donations
IT Hardware Recycling
Michael Laurie Architects LTD (MLA) donates all its redundant IT and Audio Hardware to The Edinburgh Remakery.
This is an award-winning registered charity working to reduce waste and build a stronger community with repair and reuse at its heart. They take in damaged IT equipment and furniture which is then repaired and refurbished to prevent it ending up in landfill. A large percentage of this refurbished stock is donated to disadvantaged people and groups withing Scotland though the Remakeadifference projects, and they also provide internships and learning opportunities for young people with disabilities, to give them valuable skills.
https://www.edinburghremakery.org.uk/for-businesses
Furniture Donations to the Bethany Trust
MLA donate surplus furniture and equipment to local charity The Bethany Trust.
The Bethany Trust focus on relieving the suffering and meeting the long terms needs of homeless and vulnerable people in Scotland.
Bethany supports almost 7,000 people a year across Scotland including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Bathgate, Dundee, Aberdeen, Dumfries, and Fife.
They provide high quality support services and accommodation for people who are at risk of becoming homeless, people who are currently homeless and people who have been homeless but now have their own home. They support people in a broad range of ways including housing, education and employment, addiction recovery, emotional well-being, street outreach, community integration, offending reduction and social support.
Employment
Living Wage Employers
Michael Laurie Architects have signed up as National Real Living Wage Employers and are now accredited as Living Wage Employers. This is minimum £9.50 in Scotland – MLA are committed to paying this to all staff and we are committed to ensuring that our suppliers we use also do this.
Employment and Training Opportunities
The practice of Architecture requires specialist skills usually attained through a university or college education. However even that is not a guarantee of future employment in a practice, as on the job training and learning is also essential. It is our intention to continue to offer work placements to school, colleges and university students as part of their course or for any individual interested in gaining experience in our business sector.
Equal Opportunities Employer
Michael Laurie Architects Ltd is an Equal Opportunities Employer. Refer to policies as follows:
- Equal Opportunities
- Equality Diversity and Social Inclusion
- Modern Slavery
- Training and Open Doors Policy
Local Employment
Michael Laurie Architects workloads cover all the regions of Scotland. MLA have endeavoured to employ locally, and we currently have employees in the following regions: Highlands, Scottish Borders, Fife, Lothian & Strathclyde.
This allows us to undertake our services with:
- Faster response time for our regional clients
- Reduced travel time therefore less CO2 emissions
- Using local suppliers to support our services
Sponsorships
Michael Laurie Architects has sponsored various community events. This has included sponsoring the football team at St Peters RC Primary School in Morningside. Both of Michael’s children attended this primary school and enjoyed the extracurricular sport activities. Strips, shorts, and socks were bought for all players in Primary 6 & 7 teams. Although son Matthew never quite made the team, many of his friends did and it was a source of much fun on a Saturday morning.
“I started playing football at primary school and played for 40 years. I still recall those primary school days with many happy memories and putting on a new strip at the beginning of a new season was always a real treat.”
More recently MLA also sponsored an end of year celebration events at Steiner High School paying for a Luca’s Ice Cream Van to attend and supply free ice cream cones to the sixth form leavers.
Volunteering
The Team at MLA take our community responsibilities very seriously. Volunteering schemes can significantly contribute to community regeneration. As part of this we encourage each other to undertake outdoor activities, that involve improving our neighbourhoods. One such activity we voluntarily undertake is Litter Collection around Holyrood Park in Edinburgh.
We estimate that in the last year alone we have bagged, binned, or recycled at least a tonne of litter from our local parks and paths whilst enjoying the walk and getting some much-needed exercise.
It is an MLA policy that we require all members of staff to donate a full day, each year to volunteering in the community.
Also, as parents many of the Team members at MLA volunteered at various times throughout the year. This has included activities such as being a supervisor at Hillwalking trips, School Swimming Galas and working on the design and construction of the School Community Vegetable Garden.
