Pre-school benefits from make over thanks to volunteers
A children’s nursery in Derbyshire has had a much needed refurbishment thanks to local volunteers.
Colleagues from Darley Dale Pre School and Nursery alongside a team from Novus Property Solutions and ourselves painted the exterior of the building as part of a joint social value commitment.
The lease on the building stipulates that the exterior – which is clad in wood – must be painted.
Chris Pinson-Bradley, our Community Engagement Manager said : “We asked our decorating contractor Novus if they would be interested in taking part in a community project at the pre-school. And they have gone above and beyond! Not only did they provide all the paint and other materials, the team also took down an old sign to make way for a new one and installed a large piece of exterior plywood on one wall ready for a mural to be painted on it. We are so grateful to them for volunteering their time, commitment and expertise to benefit our Platform families and the wider community. They even bought everyone chips at lunchtime!”
The nursery – which is not for profit, offering low cost places to local families – has an established relationship with us, with around 40 of the children living in Platform homes with their families. Last summer, the pre-school moved into the grounds of Darley Dale Primary School and successfully applied to our Community Chest for funds to install children’s toilets and a safe play surface at its new location. Earlier this year, we organised an event where colleagues and volunteers sanded down and repainted a wooden playhouse and a slide.
Our Community Chest, a funding pot for Platform customers and local charities, clubs and other not-for-profit organisations to apply for if their work or project directly benefits our customers; all applications are assessed against specific eligibility criteria by customers who sit on our Customer Voice Panel.
Sam Rose, Manager and Trustee at Darley Dale Pre School and Nursery said : “We are so thrilled with the exterior of our pre-school building. It looks fabulous and really has such a positive impact on the children and their families. We would like to say a big thank you to the Novus team and to Platform for making it happen. The work was originally planned for 2 days but the volunteers were so efficient, it was completed on day one!”
Mark Emery, Contracts Manager at Novus Property Solutions said : “We were delighted to be asked to be part of this lovely project in Darley Dale. Giving back to the community and making a positive contribution is a real driver for us and something that we really embrace. We would like to thank Dulux for providing the paint. We hope the teachers, pupils and their families enjoy their new look building as much as we enjoyed being part of its improvement.”
Novus is an award winning family owned property maintenance, refurbishment, compliance and decarbonisation retrofit company with a rich 127 year history.
Photo caption: Darley Dale Pre School and Nursery has benefitted from a make over