A therapy dog is helping pupils at Whitmore School feel safer, more confident and more engaged in school life thanks to a partnership between Bouygues UK and The Baxter Project.
Pupils at the Barry comprehensive school have received 40 hours of targeted support to strengthen emotional wellbeing, confidence and communication skills. Wellbeing dog Milo has played a central role, helping young people feel calm, safe and supported throughout the sessions.
Bouygues UK is currently building the Barry Waterfront Campus and Advanced Technology Centre, two brand new educational developments for Cardiff and the Vale College in partnership with the college and the Welsh Education Partnership Company (WEPCo). During construction, Bouygues UK is collaborating with organisations, such as Hello Baxter, to ensure the project not only delivers the highest quality buildings but also enhances the well-being of the local community.
Staff involved in the programme say Milo has helped pupils who were initially shy, anxious or reluctant to begin opening up and building trust with the support team. His visits to the school have enabled the students to show clear signs of trust‑building, emotional safety, and growing confidence. Many young people who began the programme feeling shy, hesitant or guarded have already begun to open up, engage more freely, and build positive relationships with the project team.
Dave O’Driscoll, from The Baxter Project says Milo’s presence helps create a relaxed and emotionally safe environment where pupils feel more comfortable expressing themselves and talking about challenges they may be facing.
He says: “Since January, Bouygues UK’s investment has enabled The Baxter Project to work regularly with a group of vulnerable young people at Whitmore High School in Barry. The school’s own feedback tells the story: attendance has been strong, engagement consistently high, and students are showing meaningful improvements in confidence, emotional openness and wellbeing. One of the most telling signs is that students are actively asking to continue, and a second cohort is due to begin after the May half term.
“The impact doesn’t stay within the school. When a young person learns to regulate their emotions, communicate more openly and build trust with an adult, that change goes home with them. Parents tell us that the programme gives them a way back in, building connection that wasn’t there before. This matters for families in Barry already navigating significant pressures. This is early intervention working as it should. Bouygues UK’s support has made that possible”
Bouygues UK is committed to embedding social value at the heart of its operations. Most recently, it was awarded the Silver Level Social Value Quality Mark following a comprehensive audit, recognising the company’s strong investment in education and skills development which are key pillars of its wider social value approach.
Nina Williams, Bouygues UK’s social value advisor for this project, said: “It’s been a pleasure to work with Milo and the Hello Baxter team and wonderful to see how the pupils have benefited from having a four-legged friend come and visit. Their approach brings something genuinely unique to our social value delivery, and the response from the school community has been incredibly positive. This collaboration is already demonstrating the value of creative, engagement‑led interventions, and we’re looking forward to building on this momentum next term.”
The new Barry Waterfront Campus, located on a brownfield site in Barry’s Waterfront Innovation Quarter, will accommodate nearly 900 students and 200 staff, offering courses in areas such as art and design, hospitality, care, hair and beauty, and independent living. It will also include a public-facing commercial kitchen, restaurant, hair and beauty salon, gym, and café to provide real-world experience for students and the community.
The Advanced Technology Centre in Rhoose, near Cardiff Airport and Cardiff and Vale College’s International Centre for Aerospace Training, will support around 1,900 students and over 200 staff. It will focus on advanced engineering, construction, motor engineering, maths, and science, and feature three connected buildings centred around a three-storey superblock with workshops, sports and wellbeing facilities, and social and dining spaces.
This is the largest project being delivered through the MIM programme and developed by the WEPCo. Delivered through a single contract under the Mutual Investment Model (MIM) programme, both College campuses will be open and operational for students in 2027.
Bouygues UK, WEPCo and Cardiff & Vale College are committed to delivering lasting social value throughout the construction programme. Alongside initiatives such as Hello Baxter, they will focus on engaging students in STEM, strengthening the local supply chain, and creating pathways into apprenticeships, training, and employment, supported by targeted construction skills training via the WEPAcademi platform.
