Crest Nicholson is celebrating 15 years of partnership with Community Wood Recycling, a social enterprise that reduces waste, conserves resources and creates employment opportunities for disadvantaged people.
Over the past 15 years, Community Wood Recycling has reused or recycled wood from across 165 Crest Nicholson sites. The partnership has also created the equivalent of 6,762 weeks of paid work and more than 2,020 weeks of training, helping disadvantaged people gain skills, confidence and a route back into employment.
To mark this milestone, Richard Mehmed, founder and managing director of Community Wood Recycling, met with Martyn Clark, chief executive officer of Crest Nicholson, at the Windsor Gate development to present him with a handcrafted wooden replica of the Stratford house type, made entirely from recycled oak.
Richard Mehmed said: “What has made this partnership so valuable is not any single achievement, but its longevity. For fifteen years, Crest Nicholson has provided the consistent support that social enterprises need to grow and thrive.”
“I’d like to thank Crest Nicholson for its trust, continued support and commitment to creating environmental and social value through reuse. Together, we’ve shown that waste wood can become much more than a waste management issue. It can become jobs, skills, confidence, community assets, opportunities and second chances.”
Martyn Clark added: “Our partnership with Community Wood Recycling demonstrates how long-term collaboration can deliver meaningful environmental and social benefits alongside our day-to-day operations. Over the past 15 years, we’ve worked together to reduce timber waste, support the circular economy and help create employment and training opportunities for people who need them most. We’re proud of what we’ve achieved together and look forward to building on this successful partnership.”
Crest Nicholson says that its work with Community Wood Recycling forms part of its wider commitment to reducing its climate impact, conserving resources and enhancing biodiversity. The housebuilder was recently handed a Silver Award in the Waste Reduction category at the Commonwealth Environment and CSR Awards, and is also the highest-ranked UK housebuilder in the Financial Times Europe’s Climate Leaders 2026.
