L&Q Major Works Investment Programme help clean up church ironworks

L&Q’s Major Works Investment Programme partner Morgan Sindall Property Services has helped a vital community venue by cleaning and painting a historic church’s ironworks.

Morgan Sindall is one of our Major Works Investment Programme (MWIP) partners and, as part of their contracts, all partners on this programme have signed up to social value commitments to create a lasting impact in the communities where we operate.

The upgrades were arranged after St Dunstan & All Saints Church reached out to L&Q for support.

This resulted in Morgan Sindall and their contractor Polo Painters & Protective Coatings agreeing to paint the main gate and railings of the Grade 1 listed church founded in 954 AD.

Not only is St Dunstan’s a place of worship for residents in the area, but it is a focal point for the community as it also acts as a food bank.

They support over 200 families and individuals facing food poverty. They do not operate a referral policy and instead aim to help anyone in need in the area.

Arjun Ghosh, Social Value Officer for Morgan Sindall Property Services, said:

“When my L&Q contact reached out to me, I immediately said yes without any hesitation.

I knew our contractor would agree to help because they believe in giving back to the community and recognise that our social value work goes beyond just financial donations.

This is the third time they have volunteered staff, equipment, and materials for a community project on the L&Q contract and they are always keen to help support local causes with their expertise in painting and decorating.

Thank you for your help once again.”

A local volunteer at the food bank said: “The gates and front railings look great. The men that have done the job have been lovely and we really appreciate it. It makes a difference to all of us who use this church daily.”

Last October, the foodbank at St Dunstan’s Church was awarded £6,104 from the L&Q Foundation to help fund a series of food demonstrations and participation sessions which helped teach foodbank users how to utilise their foodbank parcels effectively, helping them to make nutritious dishes with minimal cooking facilities.

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

“It is great to see our partner Morgan Sindall Property Services and its contractor showing the true value of how our social value can impact on everyone in the communities that we serve and not only for our residents.

By helping to maintain such a vital community building, such as St Dunstan’s Church, it will mean their volunteers can continue to provide the vital work they carry out in the area to help tackle food poverty.”

Morgan Sindall Property Services is one of ten partners working with us on our Major Works Investment Programme.

This will see L&Q invest around £3bn over 15 years to improve the safety, comfort, and environmental performance of residents’ homes.