Christmas food gift for residents to celebrate home improvements

An L&Q’s Major Works Investment Programme partner helped spread some Christmas cheer to some residents to celebrate the completion of their home improvements.

Durkan visited Trevor and Elizabeth Prior, aged 81 and 79, to present them with a Christmas hamper after the completion of their Social Housing Decarbonisation Fund (SHDF) energy efficiency works. They live in their home with their grandson Ross, his wife Michaela and two grandchildren.

Over the last five weeks, the couple, who celebrate their 60th wedding anniversary during Christmas week, have been patient while improvements were made to their Upton Park home.

This included renovating their kitchen and bathroom, installing new insulation, and replacing the boiler, windows and doors.

Whilst the five weeks of work brought some challenges, with the comings and goings of tradespeople and the inevitable mess of renovations, the Priors shared how worthwhile it all feels now that the work is done.

They said they were already feeling the difference with a cozier home and, hopefully, lower energy bills this winter.

Elizabeth said:

“I’m well happy. I’ve lived here for 43 years and having this work is a really nice uplift. The kitchen looks lovely, and the outside of my house looks fantastic.

I think the majority of the people on the estate are a bit jealous now.

“I can tell the difference in the temperature big  time, as it’s made the house a lot warmer.”

She added: “I recommend Durkan to anybody. They cleared up after themselves, so the mess  didn’t transport through the house, and they were very polite.”

Sonia Carmichael, Managing Resident Liaison Officer at Durkan, said:

“Hearing their positive feedback reminds us of the impact these projects have on real lives. We’re proud to play a part in making homes warmer, more comfortable, and more energy efficient.

Mark Newstead, Director of Major Programmes at L&Q, said:

“Our SHDF works are an important way of ensuring people have warmer, more energy efficient homes during the festive winter months.

So, it’s wonderful to hear how residents are already benefiting from our programme of home improvements.

“It’s also lovely to see our partner Durkan spreading some Christmas cheer and delivering a gift to the Priors to thank them for their patience while their home improvements were being made. It really shows our social values of going above and beyond for the residents and communities that we serve.”