Member Article

Christmas comes early for Salford church

Christmas has come early for a Salford church group who have a new and improved community centre in time for the festive season.

Oldham-based building and refurbishment specialists Emanuel Whittaker and Salford housing association Salix Homes have come to the rescue of Treasure House in Weaste – a Christian church group which brings people together for worship and community activities.

The group had purchased a warehouse on Eccles New Road to transform into a community hub, but sourcing funding to complete the project was proving difficult.

Emanuel Whittaker had been working nearby to improve almost 100 homes on the Meadowgate Estate as part of Salix Homes’ two year investment programme, which will see 2,200 homes across Salford undergo £22m of much needed improvements including new kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors.

While carrying out improvements to the home of church pastor Soloman Obisan, who is a Salix Homes tenant living on the Meadowgate estate, senior resident liaison officer Adam Berry learnt of the church group’s plight.

Adam, inspired by Soloman’s enthusiasm for this great cause, asked his bosses at Emanuel Whittaker if the company could help and they gave him the green light to offer staff time as well as funds.

It was then all hands to the deck as Oldham-based Emanuel Whittaker worked alongside sub-contractors Rixonway Kitchens, Smart Sun Heat and Solar-Gen to re-plaster the walls, fit a new kitchen and upgrade the bathroom facilities.

Soloman said: “When the companies told us what they were going to do for us we just could not believe it - we literally sang and danced for joy.

“The kindness and generosity of everyone involved has meant that we can celebrate Christmas in style and help those in the community who may need some support at this special time of the year.”

Mark Foster, head of investment at Salix Homes, said: “Salix Homes is committed to supporting the communities where we are delivering our home improvement schemes and working with our partner contractors to improve local facilities.

“Treasure House will be an excellent community resource and we hope their new and improved building will help them spread some festive cheer this Christmas.”

Adam Berry, added: “It’s nice to know that we have been able to provide a long lasting community legacy for the Weaste community, particularly at Christmas time, and all of us involved were delighted to have been able to help.”

Treasure House offers numerous community activities throughout the week. For more information go to www.thetreasurehouse.com

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Emanuel Whittaker .