Established in 2005, Upbeat Communities is a Derby-based charity that has established two social enterprises that provide ethical employment opportunities, as well as generating income and profit, which is then reinvested so it is able to continue to carry out its charitable work.
Social enterprise development
Paul Gray (left) and Michael Gladwell (right) of Upbeat Clean with Bob Newsome (centre) at Getinge’s HQ in Derby.
The first is Derby Language School, a private language school that provides an array of different classes which can be accessed by individuals and organisations across Derbyshire and Lincolnshire. One of the biggest barriers to cultural integration is language, so the profit generated from the school helps to provide around 500 refugees and asylum seekers with free English classes through the charity.
The second social enterprise is Upbeat Clean, an award-winning commercial cleaning company that offers exceptional quality cleaning, while prioritising environmental and social issues and corporate governance.
Michael Gladwell is the Managing Director of Upbeat Clean. He is passionate about changing the perception and structure of the cleaning sector and paying those who work within it a proper living wage and providing decent working conditions.
Michael says: “As a social enterprise wholly owned by a charity, we were aware there were significant issues within the cleaning sector. It can be exploitative, with many structural challenges, including workers who face low wages, poor working conditions, and a high chance of becoming victims of discrimination, bullying or assault in the workplace. We wanted Upbeat Clean to be different – yes, to provide exceptional cleaning services to all our commercial clients, but also to bring about social transformation, by paying a living wage to our staff, and providing mentoring and supported employment to help our employees rebuild their lives.”
The work of Upbeat Clean
At Upbeat Clean, there is one clear objective – to turn the cleaning industry upside down, by challenging some of the traditional perceptions that exist within, and outside, the sector.
The company’s values encompass empowerment, excellence and compassion, recognising the value of every employee with the aim of creating an engaged and motivated team, that includes refugee women and survivors of modern-day slavery. This is a cohort that often struggles to find employment while also caring for their families. Managers are recruited, as far as possible from within, empowering them by teaching the skills they need to become team leaders.
Derby has seen massive redevelopment in recent years and is now home to host of leading corporate organisations. Upbeat Clean partners with over 35 organisations across the city, providing a bespoke cleaning service to companies including Getinge, Derby Museums, Vaillant, Reach and Derby County Community Trust.
Michael commented: “These are organisations that genuinely care about the city in which they are based. Working with a social enterprise like ours ticks many of the boxes of a company’s environmental, social and governance practices, supporting a business that puts people first and reinvests its profits into charitable causes.”
Award-winning service
In 2023, Upbeat Clean won the prestigious Marketing Derby Rising Star Award, an accolade that celebrates the most exciting new businesses in the city. Since winning the award, Upbeat Clean has gone on to secure a number of major contracts, enabling the business to double in size in just twelve months and provide life-changing employment for many more individuals.
Winning the award meant they also came to the attention of Getinge’s Centre of Excellence Managing Director Bob Newsome. Getinge is a leading global provider of products and systems that contribute to quality enhancement and cost-efficiency within the healthcare and life science industries and in 2019 acquired Quadralene, a long-established, Derby-based company. In 2023 Getinge established its new UK Headquarters alongside a new Global Centre for Excellence for Chemistry at St. Modwen Park Derby and Upbeat Clean is now their cleaning contractor of choice.
Bob explained his choice of Upbeat Clean: “Our Derby Headquarters are home to Getinge’s Centre of Excellence Chemistry, and we carry out research and development and formulation production for infection control solutions here, so our requirements in terms of cleaning quality are very high. Firstly, Upbeat Clean does their job exceptionally well. Sometimes there can be a perception that working with the charity sector means that the services provided will be substandard in some way, but I can say with certainty that this is not the case with Upbeat Clean. The cleaning service they are providing to Getinge is professional, customer focused and delivered by a friendly, approachable team. It is absolutely first class!”
“In addition, working with them, also aligns with our own economic, social and governance commitments. This means we are practically living out our ambitions in this area and in doing so I hope we are helping, in a small way, to shift perceptions of the cleaning sector.”
For more information about Upbeat Clean visit www.upbeatclean.co.uk.
