Churches and business collaborate to tackle poverty in Oldbury

Posted on by Alexandra Taylor

Brandhall Community HubSandwell Council recently played the role of matchmaker, introducing Wates Construction to partners of Brandhall Community Hub to help get a new community facility off the ground.

Kings Community Church has been working in collaboration with Christ Church Quinton and Sandwell Churches Link to develop a new project called Brandhall Community Hub. The partnership applied to open a Local Pantry on Castle Road West in Brandhall, the venue previously known as Paul and Barney’s Coffee Shop.

The application was approved, but the building required some refurbishment to make it wheelchair accessible, so Sandwell Council connected CAP with one of its major contractors, Wates Construction.

Established in 1897, the Wates Group is one of the leading privately owned construction businesses in the UK. It has nineteen offices across the UK, including three in the Midlands, and is headquartered in Leatherhead, Surrey. Currently run by the fourth generation of the Wates family, it oversaw the construction of the new Sandwell Aquatics Centre, and is strongly committed to delivering social value for the communities in which it works.

An added social value process

After Sandwell Council put CAP in touch with Wates, the building work was carried out as an added social value process to support the neighbourhood. Wates widened a doorway, built a new stud wall to separate the kitchen from the toilet, created a new doorway to the toilet and fitted a new bathroom suite.

Thanks to this collaboration, the Brandhall Community Hub is now open, offering a food bank, a school uniform bank and a community cafe.

Karen Richards, Sandwell Council’s social value officer said: “The Brandhall Community Hub in Oldbury meets a wide social value commitment to families of all ages and links to the uniform bank and other supporting outreach groups such as CAP – Christians against Poverty. A big thank you to Wates for supporting such a good cause”.

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