Inspiring Partnerships

Through its work with the School of Life, Bank of Ireland UK explores the concept of ‘partnerships’ in a series of intriguing and thought provoking videos. From ski slopes, to gaming apps, to tunnels under London, we take you all over the world in the hope of uncovering what it is that makes a partnership successful.

We have enjoyed making the series with the School of Life and learning from the experiences of the partners featured in the videos. We hope you enjoy the videos too.

Heinz was on the search for a practical use for the waste from the more than 2 million tons of tomatoes they use annually in the production of Tomato Ketchup. Ford’s commitment to reducing, reusing and recycling meant that they were the natural partners in this project.

The team at Ford soon discovered that the dried out tomato waste could be used as a reinforcing fibre for plastics and although this partnership is in its infancy, plastics are already being produced that may be used in Ford vehicles. As Deborah Mielewski of Ford Motor Company Research says “One guy’s trash can be another guy’s treasure.”

Millie Knight competes internationally in slalom and giant slalom. At the age of one, Millie contracted toxocariosis, a condition that resulted in her losing the majority of her eyesight. In the qualifiers for an international event, Millie’s guide fell and injured herself, leaving Millie’s hopes of gold in jeopardy.

To enable Millie to compete, her coach Euan Bennet stepped up to become her guide and despite having never competed together, they rapidly began building confidence and trust in one another, resulting in Millie’s qualification. In partnering with Euan, Millie not only got back to racing competitively, but also witnessed first-hand the power of reliance and understanding.

The pair of athletes have continued to build their trust in each other and enhance their strong sporting partnership.

Each year, 16 people spend a year in isolation, living and working together. Spending days on end with total strangers in the most remote place on earth has been a huge challenge to Concordia, and overcoming multicultural barriers including language and significant cultural differences has been a vital cog in the safe running of the station.

Here, Eoin MacDonald-Nethercott talks us through his time at the Station as an honorary Frenchman and Italian. He describes navigating the tensions of isolation through food, football and socialising. Coming together in everyday activities helps build understanding between the crew, and allows for the smooth running of the station, and ultimately, the basis of their happy survival.

LinkAge has launched a generation spanning initiative which brings together over 55s with younger people as a way of generating mutual respect and understanding through the sharing of skills, knowledge and interests.  The appreciation and consideration for one another is designed to simultaneously combat loneliness in the older generation whilst offering advice such as cooking to the younger individuals.

In this film, we see an IT class which partnered pensioner, Betty, with a local teenager, Sophie, to address specific tech-related questions. The idea is to create a nurturing environment where no question is too small and patience is encouraged. Over tea and biscuits afterwards the pairs can get to know each other socially and trade stories.

On a wider level, the charity has dances, sporting socials and passion projects such as gardening where generations can work side by side and learn mutual respect. Together, Sophie and Betty have shared life skills and experiences. As Betty says, “Everybody is an individual and they all have life experience that may be beneficial to you at your age.”

In 2008 the RSPB was looking to create a nature reserve at Wallasea Island off the coast of Essex but could not afford the spiraling costs involved in raising the reserve above sea level. Crossrail meanwhile had a problem with getting rid of their high-quality waste as they dug beneath London to create a new high-speed train link.

Through the partnership, Crossrail not only got rid of its waste but also created an infrastructure for delivering more waste that will remain at Wallasea for other organisations even once they are no longer involved. “At a time when nature is in crisis, we believe Wallasea sets a new benchmark showing what’s possible with intelligent partnerships between the private sector and charities,” said Martin Harper, RSPB.

This film not only discusses the formation of the partnership but also the legacy that it leaves behind as the birds begin to arrive at the newly created nature reserve.