Corporate volunteers revamp P3 housing in Cheshire
Volunteers Ian, Andrew, Mark and James from Aggreko
A team of engineers and managers from Aggreko recently swapped overalls for shorts and t-shirts to volunteer at P3’s accommodation service in Halton, Cheshire.
Around fifteen volunteers from the company’s depot in Widnes shared the tasks over the week, with different volunteers coming into Grangeway Court every day to clear paths, create flowerbeds, paint the summerhouse and decking, and do up communal rooms indoors.
Aggreko Service Centre Manager Ian said:
“It’s all part of our corporate social responsibility, what we call ‘Orange Days of Difference’, where we choose a local charity and all chip in and do what we can to make a difference. Everyone from our place has been donating toys for the kids as well.”
Grangeway Court is a temporary home for families who have become homeless, offering secure accommodation and support to move on to independent living.
Gemma is a resident with her partner and two young children under two. They moved in when her ex-partner made it impossible for her and her family to stay where they were living.
“They’ve supported us with everything here: supplied us with nappies, always on the phone to the housing services, supporting us to get a bond for a deposit on a private rent, because we weren’t entitled to the discretionary payments.”
About the volunteers’ work in the garden, Gemma said:
“People living here are homeless so it’s not a nice position to be in, but for the kids especially, they’ll have somewhere they can play and it’s secure for them. It just makes it more homely.”
At the end of the week, P3 Service Manager for Grangeway, Andy Pope, said:
“It’s been amazing and I can’t thank the volunteers enough, they’ve worked really hard.”
To find our more about P3's Cheshire support services, go to: https://www.p3charity.org/services/homeless-families-accommodation
To find out how you can volunteer with us as a team, please see our Corporate Volunteering page.
