Refurbishment for food charity.
Volunteers from Willmott Dixon’s Birmingham north and south branches have joined forces to break out the paintbrushes and help give FareShare’s local office a makeover.
FareShare is Willmott Dixon Partnership’s official charity of 2014 and its local office in Nechells has been given a much needed makeover by staff volunteers to ensure that the recently extended site is warm and welcoming.
Four of the company’s apprentices, Shane Dawes, Daniel Terry, Aiden Tranter and Garry Fowkes, donned their overalls alongside trade supervisor Paul Holroyd, to paint the staffroom, kitchen, toilets, hallways and the upstairs offices. The result is a much more pleasant place for the FareShare volunteers to work.
The local office on Mount Street in Nechells redistributes surplus food to over 80 local charities across Birmingham and Coventry that work with people in need, from families on low income and older people at risk of isolation to those affected by homelessness and mental health issues. FareShare works to provide crucial support services alongside freshly cooked nutritious meals.
FareShare tackles food waste and food poverty throughout the UK. Last year it contributed towards more than 12 million meals, which were served at breakfast clubs, women’s refuges and luncheon clubs for older people across the UK. On average, 62,200 hungry and vulnerable individuals benefit from FareShare’s services every day.
One of the volunteers on the day was Willmott Dixon apprentice Garry Fowkes, who said: “As an apprentice I’m always looking for a chance to learn new skills and get involved in different projects. It felt good to give something back to a charity as vital as FareShare which does so much good work in the local area.”
Commenting on the work, Pam Tank, Project Manager at FareShare West Midlands said: “The Willmott Dixon team did an absolutely brilliant job refreshing the FareShare offices. It is something that we have not had the funds or the capacity to do since we opened so they definitely gave the place a much needed new look. It is a lot brighter and feels like a nicer place to be. It is great to have the support of an organisation such as Willmott Dixon and we look forward to working with them again.”
Willmott Dixon Partnerships has named FareShare its national charity for the year, pledging to raise £20,000 through fundraising activities and volunteer work. Each of the company’s UK branches has pledged to carry out community activities in their local area to support the charity and provide practical help to people who benefit from Fareshare’s services. The branches are currently taking part in the Trainee Challenge – walking and cycling from the north and south of the country, taking in more than 489 miles of road, before converging in Birmingham.
Mick Williamson, Managing Director of Willmott Dixon Partnerships said; “As a company we are working to make a real and positive difference to the lives of people living locally. We aim to do this through volunteer projects, fundraising initiatives, and charity partnerships with organisations such as FareShare. We want to play an active part in delivering initiatives that leave a real legacy and work to share these ideas through our Transforming Communities report, to help organisations deliver sustainable growth and help communities through these current austere times.”
