Liverpool company Sovini Trade Supplies (STS) donated over £1,000 worth of building materials to BBC show DIY SOS for the refurbishment of a young carers centre in Blackpool.
The project transformed Blenheim House – now called Beaverbrooks House – from a run-down, neglected Victorian home to a fun, safe environment providing out-of-school respite, training activities and support for young carers. STS donated large amounts of plywood worth £1,263 to help renovate the building as part of DIY SOS’ Children in Need special.
An army of 250 volunteers including bricklayers, plasterers, gardeners and even tea-makers worked on what has been described as the BBC programme’s most ambitious project to date and it was a huge success. The donation comes less than a year after STS contributed to the DIY SOS Veterans Special in September, which saw a row of houses transformed into a community for ex-service personnel.
Anita Harrison-Carroll, Director of Sovini Trade Supplies, said: “It’s a great honour to be able to contribute to another DIY SOS project, and knowing that we’ve improved the lives of young carers is incredible. Social good is at the heart of our organisation, and we are constantly looking for ways that we can give back to the communities we work in.”
Michelle Smith, CEO of Blackpool Carers Centre, added: “We are astonished by the efforts of the team, people who have donated materials and volunteers – the support has been beyond what we could have ever imagined. This renovation will enable us to help improve the lives of more children and young people with caring responsibilities who are in need of our support both now and in the years to come.”
As part of the philanthropic Sovini Group, capacity generated by STS is reinvested in the group’s non-profit social housing partners, supporting their investment in new homes and developing local communities. The other Sovini Group partners are One Vision Housing, Pine Court Housing Association, Sovini Property Services, Sovini Building and Maintenance and Sovini Homes.
