Residents in a supported housing scheme have been given a brand new look for their garden, thanks to Southampton City Council’s Make A Difference scheme and support from Integrated Services.
Make A Difference is an annual initiative which sees Southampton City Council (SCC) and its partners carry out voluntary work that benefits the local community, at the request of the council’s residents, tenants and staff.
This year, Bellamy Court, which provides sheltered accommodation to older people, was one of the beneficiaries of the scheme, after Bellamy Court’s Residents Association asked for a pergola and flower bed for the residents’ communal garden.
Integrated Services, SCC’s Housing Repairs Team’s supply partner, stepped in to make that request a reality, and donated the materials needed to build the pergola and flower bed, while B&Q donated £500 to buy the other materials required.
A team of SCC’s trade apprentices and volunteers spent a day onsite renovating the garden, with the apprentices building a few special items from scratch, including a solid oak bench, bird boxes and a bird table.
Ian Bridgford, area trading manager, Integrated Services, said: “We like to give back to the communities that we serve wherever possible and this seemed a perfect thing to help out with. It’s a lovely feeling knowing that our donation has given pleasure to so many.”
Councillor Warwick Payne, Cabinet Member for Housing and Sustainability, said: “We do listen to our tenants and work hard to ensure that they have a better quality of life. The Make A Difference event is one of the smaller ways we do this and it is proving to be a very successful scheme. I am delighted that our tenants were pleased with all the improvements and special thanks goes to B&Q and Wolseley UK for their support.”
