Our Renew team recently volunteered to help elderly and vulnerable residents at Tavistock Down in Brighton clear the clutter ahead of improvement works.
While the focus was on emptying the community stores, which have fallen into disrepair and require work to make them safe again, Breyer Renew also removed unwanted items from communal areas during the volunteer day.
Senior Site Manager Caley Brosnan and RLO Debbie Crook led activities on the day and are overseeing the project. Caley commented:
“Each of the properties at Tavistock Down and The Crestway have their own store, which in most cases has been filled with rubbish and then barely used. In order to make the deteriorating stores safe, we needed to clear them out. So, while we did this, we took the opportunity to help residents remove other abandoned and unwanted things from their homes and estate area too.”
“Ultimately, while our main job as a property services company is to improve property, we also see our role as creating better homes that residents will feel happier in. By helping the elderly and vulnerable reduce the clutter and by removing rubbish from stairways and communal areas, the estate as a whole has been given a lift and looks more cared for. We have no doubt that the decluttering will not only help residents to feel happier in their home but also more inclined to care for the estate going forward.”
Lloyd Jenkins, External & Internal Repairs & Decorations Project Manager for BHCC, added:
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all involved on Saturday for the rubbish amnesty arranged at the Crestway and Tavistock. Response from residents was really positive and gets us off to a great start on this project to the much-needed residents stores. Great social value event and a big pat on the back all round. Many thanks Team Breyer!”
All rubbish collected was separated into appropriate recycling piles of metal, wood and so on, to ensure that as little as possible of the waste removed would end up on landfill sites. The team filled three large caged vans with rubbish on the day due to the sheer volume of unwanted things left in the stores and around the estate. One store was nicknamed ‘Narnia’ due to the number of unwanted items that just kept on coming out of it!
With all stores emptied, improvement works will include concrete repairs and new paintwork to ceilings and walls, as well as replacement doors and frames. New keys will be issued to the residents on completion of the works, allowing them to store bikes and other items that might otherwise clog up the narrow hallways and stairwells, making the estate safer and less cluttered.