Free refurb for Two Saints learning Centre
Homeless facility refurbished by generous businesses
FACILITIES management company Mitie has worked with supply partners to provide free refurbishment to a learning centre at the Two Saints hostel in Newbury.
In partnership with Johnstone’s Paint, Rixonway Kitchens and Altro Flooring, Mitie carried out internal redecoration, installed new flooring and built a new kitchen at the Newtown Road facility known as The Base.
The refurbishments helped generate the space needed to create a modern environment, encouraging clients to participate in activities aimed at helping them to return to employment and independent living.
The Base, which is run by the Two Saints homelessness charity, will be used for a variety of activities including employability workshops, CV writing sessions, mock interviews, literacy and numeracy skills, basic IT skills and other trade essential tests such as the Construction Skills Certification Scheme, which are all directed at encouraging participants back into employment.
The new kitchen will be used for coffee mornings, resident meetings, cooking groups and special ‘Smart Move’ cooking sessions which is part of its clients’ accredited training programme to gain independence and move on to resettlement.
In addition, local Mitie employees have donated items from their own homes to make it more welcoming.
Mitie spokesman Kenny Robson, whose team was instrumental in getting the project off the ground, said: “At Mitie, we’re totally committed to supporting local communities. It’s been a privilege to work with Two Saints and our supply partners to transform The Base into a modern space that helps facilitate those affected by homelessness.”
Regional manager of Mitie’s property management business, Lee Elliot, said: “We have created a modern environment to help inspire clients to build essential skills to move onto independent living. We hope everyone enjoys the new facility and it brings more opportunities and enterprise for Two Saints in the future.”
Learning and enterprise manager of Two Saints, Dean Higgins, said: “It’s an amazing transformation and it simply wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of Mitie and the other businesses involved. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard.”
