Photo caption: Lian Maltas from St. Luke’s Centre; Aiden Graham; Chris Hall and Michelle Johnson of PHS; and Marie Wisson and Sharon Lowes from Sunderland VSA.
A local community church in Pallion, Sunderland is celebrating after volunteers refurbished the kitchen and public toilet making it more accessible and functional for its visitors.
A team of skilled trades people from local firm PHS Solutions volunteered their time and donated items at St. Luke’s Church in Pallion to upgrade the communal kitchen and WC, helping to improve facilities and support the wider delivery of community wellbeing programmes such as youth activities, events and social gatherings.
The company delivered the works as part of its wider social value commitments for a contract it is delivering on behalf of Gentoo, which involves delivering refurbishment works in customers’ homes.
PHS Solutions reached out to the Sunderland Voluntary Sector Alliance (SVSA), a local infrastructure support charity, to find out which voluntary, community and charitable organisations across Sunderland were looking for support and felt the requirements at St. Lukes aligned directly with their core purpose of improving living environments and creating safe, functional, welcoming spaces.
The kitchen has received a full decoration, cupboards have been realigned, plinths and taps have been replaced and a new hob installed, while the downstairs WC has had a new toilet, basin, full redecoration and flooring.
Lisa Coverdale, Head of Customer Experience at PHS Solutions, said: “When we found out that St. Luke’s needed some refurbishment works undertaken, we didn’t hesitate to get involved. We are currently working in Sunderland with client Gentoo and recognise that our responsibility goes beyond compliance and contract delivery.
“We are committed to investing in the local communities where we operate and volunteering is a way of giving back. It also provides our employees opportunities to apply their technical skills but working together with the church and the local community, it created a strong sense of shared purpose. Spending time within a local community gave our teams a deeper insight into the people and organisations that sit at the heart of Gentoo neighbourhoods. We are pleased to have been able to support such a worthwhile community project.”
Marie Wisson, Community & Corporate Volunteering Coordinator at SVSA, said: “We are delighted to have been able to match and introduce PHS Solutions and St. Lukes. Pallion is an area where support is not merely beneficial but vital.
“Seemingly small, targeted interventions such as this are capable of significantly improving community resilience, quality of life and long‑term options for residents. It has also taken away a big and stressful problem for the venue manager – time that she would have spent on fixing problems, researching options and applying for funding for the improvements, can now be spent on other valuable areas of work that support the building and its beneficiaries. It shows how much difference a company like PHS can make through their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) programme.”
Lian Maltas, Centre Manager, said: “I would like to say a massive thank you to PHS. Our facilities have been given a fresh look with important upgrades that will help people of all ages in our community. Our venue is a lifeline for elderly persons in the Pallion area and these new facilities will assist us in providing a safe and accessible space for all. We run a Men’s group, a lunch club, exercise classes, yoga and more. These activities help the community to become happier and healthier in themselves. We are very grateful to Lisa, Aidan, Alex, and Declan for their dedication and hard work to help St Luke’s, thank you again!”
PHS Solutions was appointed by Gentoo as part of the GenTogether partnership to transform hundreds of homes across Sunderland. The company is delivering internal upgrades including the installation of modern kitchens, bathrooms and full electrical rewires.
To date, the company has installed 54 kitchens, 64 bathrooms and completed 60 full electrical rewires to customers’ homes.