How a two-hour carpentry job by Equans Places and Communities helped resolve a health and safety issue at Church Manor Wellbeing Hub.

At Church Manor Wellbeing Hub in south London, a two-hour carpentry job helped make setting up and packing away easier for the Youth Club that uses the space each week.

The hub hosts a range of activities, from training sessions and exercise classes to social inclusion groups and a food pantry. Its rooms need to work for different people and purposes, with equipment regularly brought out and stored away.

One small issue was making that harder. A former toilet had been converted into a storage room, but its door opened inwards, taking up valuable space and creating an ongoing health and safety concern.

Southern Housing’s Community Venues team posted a request on Match My Project for a carpenter to change the direction of the door. Equans Places and Communities stepped in to help.

A fix for a shared space

The request was for the door to be adjusted so it opened outwards, freeing up space inside the storage room and making it easier to keep equipment organised.

Patrick Warren, from the Equans Places and Communities team, completed the carpentry work in just two hours.

The Community Venues team praised his effort, “Patrick was super responsive and knew what needed to be done straight away.”

The members and organisers of the Youth Club use the room as part of their regular activities, so having more room to store equipment would make setting up and packing away much easier.

As Bliss Winspear-Barrett from Southern Housing shared afterwards, “I’ve already received feedback from the Youth Club, who are extremely grateful and have said it will make a huge difference. The improvements will make setting up and packing away much easier for everyone involved.”

Making everyday activities easier

Community hubs rely on spaces that can adapt to the needs of the people using them. When equipment is easier to store and rooms are more practical to work in, staff and volunteers can spend less time working around avoidable problems.

This match addressed an ongoing safety concern and improved a space used as part of the hub’s regular programme. This, for the youth club means one less obstacle to work around each time activities are set up and packed away.

About Match My Project

Match My Project connects businesses with community organisations and residents to deliver Social Value in local communities. 

To find out more, contact hello@matchmyproject.org.