Giving Back
At Hawes Construction Group, giving back to the local community is at the core of our values. We support our community in numerous ways, including donating money, sponsorship, volunteering our time and construction services, and consistently going above and beyond in all our endeavors.
In 2024 Hawes became the main sponsor of Eastbourne Rugby Club. Bruce and Sarra are thrilled to have the opportunity to give back to a club that has been part of their lives for over 30 years. Bruce played for the Eastbourne 1st team back in his twenties, and then their son Jake played for the juniors up to Colt level.
Bruce and Sarra are also both directors of the club board and are involved with its running. Here’s what they had to say: “It feels good to give back to the rugby community, we have made friends for life here and feel part of a big family.”
Supporting Local Charities
In recent years we have been supporting our wonderful local hospice – St Wilfrid’s in Eastbourne – by sponsoring various events including the popular Rainbow Run and donating “Barrows of Booze” for hospice fundraising events.
In January 2025 Sarra Hawes and Business Development Manager, Lisa Pickard spent the day in one of the company trucks collecting Christmas Trees on behalf of the hospice for recycling into biomass!
In March 2025 we hosted a successful Car Wash & Cake Sale to support St Wilfrid’s Hospice. Throughout the day, we had a constant flow of cars coming in for a wash, and we proudly raised nearly £600 for the hospice as part of their Enterprise Challenge, where our goal was to turn £50 into even more! Our homemade cakes were a hit, providing a treat for those waiting for their cars to be cleaned.
In 2018 Managing Director Bruce Hawes jumped out of a plane to raise money for the Children’s Respite Trust. Bruce donned a jump suit and climbed to around 12,000 feet over the Kent countryside before taking the leap of a life-time which involved freefalling for around 30 – 40 seconds before the canopy opened!
Educational Support
We are proud to be supporting the T-Levels scheme, a fantastic programme that offers practical industry experience to young people as an alternative to A Levels and apprenticeships.
Marley, a T-Level student, joined us for the industry placement component of her qualification. She spent one day a week with us over the course of a year, gaining valuable on-the-job insights into the world of construction and quantity surveying. Marley came to us through a recommendation from her uncle Kris, one of our trusted electrical subcontractors, who encouraged her to pursue a T-Level in the built environment.
Marley had always aspired to work in construction and was determined to follow in her father’s footsteps by becoming a quantity surveyor. She had a keen interest in learning about the projects he worked on and was eager to gain hands-on experience.
Throughout her placement, we aimed to provide Marley with the best possible experience through site visits, practical tasks, and exposure to real-world projects. Our goal was to ensure her time with us was both inspiring and informative, showcasing the very best of the industry.
Marley said this whilst with us
“Working at Hawes has been a really good experience and I am definitely enjoying it. I get lots of tasks to do, and I can go onsite and see projects as they progress. It’s great having the opportunity to learn from industry professionals. It’s also a really comfortable, relaxed environment, and everyone is very nice and friendly.”
Director Sarra Hawes is dedicated to helping young people build careers in construction. As an enterprise advisor for a local school, Sarra has provided students with valuable insights into the interview process, sharing her expert advice and tips.
If you’d like Sarra to speak with students at your school, please get in touch. She’s always eager to help.
Sarra also participates in “Give an Hour” which is an initiative set up by the Careers & Enterprise Agency for employers to give an hour at a local school or college and make a difference to the future career choices that a young person makes.
View Construction Careers PageHealth & Wellbeing
Sarra Hawes & Lisa Pickard are active members of the Southern Wellness Action Group (SWAG) committee. They have helped organise fundraising events for SWAG, including quiz nights and lunches and collaborated with other committee members to host a golf day in April 2025 which raised over £7500!
The Southern Wellness Action Group was set up to get people in the construction industry to break the stigma and start talking about Mental Health seeking the help they need from a pooled list of Mental Health First Aiders. Money raised from fundraising events helps to fund private counselling for men and women in the construction industry who are struggling with poor mental health. Sessions are usually booked and held within 7-10 days using The Old Bank Wellbeing Trust Ltd.
