Volunteers spruce up Kirkholt home

Members of the Groundwork volunteer team on site in Kirkholt

Volunteers from Groundwork have come together to refurbish the three bedroom home at 103 Balderstone Road, Kirkholt. The home has been purchased by Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) under the “Right To Buy – Buyback” scheme and will now be available for affordable rent by local families.

RBH contracted Groundwork to refurbish the home, as part of a training programme for local people. Work started on 30 September 2013, and finished on 13th February 2014.

The refurbishment team primarily consisted of volunteers, but experienced contractors were also involved at key points to pass on their skills to the volunteers.

Refurbishment took place from Monday to Thursday each week, with Friday set aside for planning the next week’s work and acquiring the necessary parts. 18 volunteers were involved, half of whom live in neighbourhoods managed by RBH. Over 75 days of volunteer activity were logged by the team.

Of the 18 volunteers in the Balderstone Road team, 16 gained qualifications in Building Craft Occupations. Five of them also received their CSCS site operative card, a qualification nine others are hoping to attain by continuing their training with Groundwork. Once earned, the CSCS card will allow them to pursue a career within the construction industry. This training is part of RBH’s commitment to helping local people gain employment through the training of new skills.

Phil Treaton, Land & Design Manager at Groundwork, said: “The Housing Refurbishment partnership with Rochdale Boroughwide Housing is a great example of a win-win project for Rochdale. We’re providing unemployed people with valuable skills, training and work experience whilst bringing empty homes back into use.”

Gemma Glossop, RBH Development Project Manager, said: “As a mutual housing society, RBH is committed to providing new opportunities in the communities we serve; we’re delighted that not only is a newly-refurbished home now available at affordable rent for local families, but that we’ve been able to work closely with our friends at Groundwork to give local young people the work experience and skills that will serve them well in their future careers”.

RBH has a contract with the Homes and Communities Agency under the 2011-2015 Affordable Homes Programme. Part of this contract involves purchasing seven properties as part of the Right to Buy – Buyback scheme, with the intention of refurbishing and re-letting the acquired homes. 103 Balderstone Road is the third home to be purchased and refurbished.