Author: Sophia Cox

Whether or not you have submitted an entry for the Building Communities Awards 2026, we encourage you to come along to enjoy the celebrations at Derby Arena on Friday 20th March 2026.

The Building Communities Awards is hosted by EEM to recognise and celebrate professionalism, excellence and innovation within the housing and construction community. The event is an opportunity to network with around 550 professionals whilst showcasing your outstanding work, and enjoying a three course dinner and drinks.

Thank you to Matthews & Tannert Limited for their headline sponsorship for 2026.

The Building Communities Awards has built up a reputation for being one of the biggest and best events of its kind in the region. The fun-packed black tie evening includes a drinks reception, a three course meal, award presentations, a charity raffle with fantastic prizes to be won, entertainment, late night snacks and a lively DJ with drinks flowing until late.

Tickets are priced at £100+VAT pp and tables seat up to 10 guests.

All event surplus and fundraising will go directly to the Efficiency East Midlands Foundation to benefit East Midlands communities.

The categories for 2026 are as follows:

🏆 Best use of an EEM Community Donation
🏆 Collaborative Working
🏆 Community Impact
🏆 Contractor of the Year
🏆 Innovative Solution of the Year 
🏆 Refurbishment Project of the Year
🏆 Sustainability
🏆 Resident Impact  
🏆 Supplier of the Year
🏆 Procurement Excellence 

The deadline for entries has now passed.

Almost 450 tickets have already been allocated, so please visit www.bc-awards.co.uk to find out more and ensure you book your table soon to avoid disappointment.

We are extremely proud to have been Headline Sponsors of the Charnwood Sports Awards 2025!

Senior Member Support Officer, Shannon Hawksley (pictured right), and Member Support Officer, Hollie Dickens (pictured left), attended the Charnwood Sports Awards on Monday 1st December 2025 – a celebration of sporting success, community sport and health and wellbeing.

Charnwood Borough Council used their EEM Community Donation to help deliver this year’s awards.

Congratulations to all nominees and winners – your achievements are making a real difference for sport and wellbeing across the borough!

Find out more about the event here.

International Men’s Day, taking place on 19th November, celebrates worldwide the positive value men bring to the world, their families and communities.

Rebecca Dermody-Simmons, Chief Executive at EEM commented:

Happy International Men’s Day!

I never set out to run a predominantly female team; it simply evolved that way. But in amongst the eighteen wonderful women are the five amazing men who help complete our team at EEM.

I often think that it can’t always be easy navigating the dynamic rhythm of a largely female-led environment… but they do it brilliantly. Each of them brings balance, strength, humour, and a steady resilience that makes our team stronger every single day.

Today is a great reminder to celebrate the men who show up with integrity, empathy, and dedication – not just today, but all year round.

Here’s to our fantastic five. 👏

Efficiency East Midlands (EEM) has had another fantastic year of growth and we’d like to share some key statistics from 2024-25:

18%	Framework Throughput Increase	39	New Members
71%	Core usage in the Midlands	1%	Average Commission
£650k	Community Donations	229	Members Engaged
£30k	Building Communities Awards Charity Fundraising	157	Contractors Engaged
30%	Increase in call-offs by non-housing organisations	271	Contracts Started
£195m	Total Contract Value Awarded	862	Active Contracts

The below are our top frameworks, based on member usage:

Insulation & Associated Works

Property Improvements and Decarbonisation Works

Supply & Distribution of Materials

Passive Fire Protection

Heating & Hot Water Systems

These are the frameworks we have renewed or created in 2024-25:

Property Improvements and Decarbonisation Works

Asbestos Surveys & Removals

Digital Aerials Framework

PPE, Workwear, Janitorial & Site Equipment Supplies

Communal Entrance Doors

Roofing Services

Vacant Property Management

Digital Ride Booking Platform (Meta) New

COMMUNITY DONATIONS

Our annual Community Donation scheme has now distributed a total of XXXXXXX since XXXX. This year alone, we are proud to have distributed £650,000 to 160 members, based on their usage of EEM Frameworks.

Community Donations distributed in 2024-25	£650,000
Average donation distributed	£4,063
Donations ranged from	£274 to £24,313
Number of members who received donations	160
Total distributed in East Midlands	52%
Total distributed in Midlands	72%

If you have any questions regarding the above, or anything else, please feel free to contact us at info@clone.eem.org.uk 

We are pleased to congratulate Amy Wheatley, Head of Procurement, on reaching 10 years with Efficiency East Midlands (EEM).

Over the past decade, Amy has demonstrated consistent dedication and commitment, developing her skills and experience over time and progressing into her current role as Head of Procurement, where she leads a team of five. Her contribution is valued by colleagues across the organisation and plays an important role in supporting EEM’s work.

“Amy’s dedication and commitment have made a real difference at EEM over the last 10 years. It has been a pleasure to see her development and progression during her time with us, and we’re grateful for everything she brings to the organisation.”

Rebecca Dermody-Simmons, Chief Executive at EEM

Congratulations, Amy, and thank you for your continued hard work and contribution to EEM.