Charity that helps improve the lives of people in need in and around Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth gets much-needed donation

A charity which improves the lives of people in need in Leamington, Warwick and Kenilworth has received a much-needed donation for its House2Home scheme.

Warwick-based property development company AC Lloyd Homes has donated the furniture from the show home at its Oakley Grove development in Leamington to the Helping Hands Community Project.

The House2Home initiative provides furniture and household goods to families who have been referred by local councils, children’s centres, the Citizens Advice Bureau, the probation service and other charities.

Due to the pandemic, the charity located in Gloucester Street in Leamington is only currently dealing with emergency re-homing needs.

Tracey Littlejohns, community support worker at Helping Hands’ House2Home project, said the donation from AC Lloyd was extremely timely.

“We are extremely grateful to AC Lloyd for the donation of a wide range of items from its show home because it is not very often that we receive new furniture,” she said.

“This project was set-up six years ago in a little shed and it has grown and grown as we have had more donations of furniture.

“We deal with various agencies to help people that are homeless or have low incomes with household items as they move into permanent accommodation.

“As soon as we receive donations, we find the right home for them because we are short at the moment and it would be fantastic if other businesses or organisations could also give any unwanted furniture because there is a huge demand.

“We are only presently dealing with emergency cases because of the pandemic but once we’re allowed back into peoples’ homes, we will be able to consider self-referrals again and also look at the long-term support from other projects that Helping Hands runs.”

Stephanie Green, sales and marketing manager at AC Lloyd Homes, said she hoped the furniture from its show home would help families get back on their feet.

She said: “This is a tough time for many families due to the pandemic and we are glad to have played a part in making their life a little easier by giving the beds, settee and other furniture from our Oakley Grove development to this fantastic House2Home project.

“When people are re-homed, they are often given a place to stay but not all the essentials that we take for granted like a bed or wardrobe so it is great to know that we are helping local families in need by transforming their property into a home.

“If there are any other housebuilders or businesses moving premises who have furniture that is no longer needed then Tracey and her colleagues are able to collect it and donate it to families living in our area.”