Bank staff unite for makeover
Staff from Halifax branches in Dewsbury, Batley, Cleckheaton and Huddersfield came together to help a young family feel more at home.
Lloyds Banking Group, which owns Halifax, has teamed up with Homestart UK, a volunteer organisation that supports struggling families.
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Hide AdAnd on Monday a dedicated team of branch staff from across the district picked up paintbrushes and gardening tools to help a Liversedge family.
Also helping out was south Kirklees business connector Mark Yarwood, while other branches, including Mirfield, donated materials.
Answering a call for help from Homestart Kirklees, the team set to work at a home in the Windy Bank Estate, where Sarah lives with her four children aged nine, seven, two and one.
Sarah moved to the estate shortly before year one-year-old was born.
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Hide AdThe single mother struggled to find time to decorate their new home properly due to the demands of raising four children.
Her garden was also a problem as one of her children was able to escape from it through the hedges.
Thanks to a makeover by the Halifax team, the bedroom now boasts an army theme, complete with curtains and a toy box made by a crafty staff member from the Batley branch, and bunk beds donated by Fusion Housing.
Fencing was put up in the garden, and weeds and shrubs were cleared to make it a safe play area for the children.
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Hide AdHomestart’s Think Warm, Think Safe campaign with Kirklees Council also provided warm new bedding for the children’s room.
Homestart Kirklees volunteer coordinator Michelle Steadman said: “The Halifax have just been fantastic and opted to do both projects, the bedroom and the garden.
“The children didn’t know anything about it, they were told they were getting a new bedroom for Christmas.”
Huddersfield Halifax branch manager Jonathan Wales said the bank wanted to get involved with the communities its customers live and work in.
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Hide Ad“We were looking for a project where we could make a difference so gardening and decorating was right up our street. It’s great to help people and it’s also good for us because it gets us out in the fresh air.”