Hope Community Services will provide additional accommodation to house Covid-19 homeless in Worksop

Hope Community Services plans to use the money from the B&Q Foundation to convert an office space into a bedroom, big enough to house two homeless people. As the average stay at Hope House is two months, the room will house around 12 clients a year.

The funding will also be used to renovate a new office space in a separate part of the building, thus allowing for the extra bedroom in the previous space.

Liz Mallender, service manager at Hope Community Services, said: “We’d like to thank the B&Q Foundation for the funding. The grant awarded will enable us to offer two more homeless people a place to stay and support to ensure they are able to move on from homelessness for good.”

Colleagues from the B&Q store in Worksop visited the charity to find out more about the work that the B&Q Foundation has funded through the sale of face masks. They also dropped off some tools, plants and offered some help and advice on the project.

Liz said: “It was great to welcome the team from B&Q through our doors to tell them about the work we will do with the money they and their customers have helped to raise.”

Catherine Burge, transformation director at B&Q who chairs the B&Q Foundation, said: “Hope Community Services does absolutely vital work supporting people in Worksop going through a hard time and that really need their help. We’re really pleased to be able to support them through a B&Q Foundation grant and help them to create even more accommodation for those who use its service.”

Through the B&Q Foundation, the company will help local communities shape the spaces that mean so much to them - whether it be a community hall or care centre, a hostel or a hospice.

The sale of face masks so far has raised nearly £500,000 for the foundation to distribute to charities.

More grants are available - so charities in Worksop wishing to find out more or to register interest in applying for a grant should visit: www.neighbourly.com/B