Hamilton charity get a £5k boost with B&Q donation
Hillhouse- based charity Supporting Our Community (SOC) have been given a £5000 boost thanks to the B& Q Foundation.
The organisation was set up following the tragic suicide of 16-yearold Calderside Academy pupil Darian Rouse in 2018.
And SOC – who provide a social and community hub for people in Hillhouse, Burnbank and Blantyre – will use the money to develop an existing outdoor space and unused building into a community garden, outdoor learning centre and workshop that can be used by the community.
It will allow locals to cut their repair costs by learning how to carry out small jobs around their homes themselves – and use the workshop to help them do so.
Through the community garden, SOC will encourage people of all ages to get into gardening by growing vegetables that can be distributed to people in the area. The grant will be put towards items including tools, work benches, safety equipment and storage cabinets. In addition, it will be used to purchase supplies of soil, wood and seeds.
The donation will help boost the incredible work that the charity does. This includes offering adult, family and intergenerational activities that encourage community participation and therefore reduce isolation and loneliness, whilst helping people to maintain or improve their mental health. The charity also helps direct clients to other services and agencies that may be able to support them.
Staff from the B&Q store in East Kilbride recently visited the hub in their signature orange aprons and shared some help and advice on the project.
Douglas Mcintosh, chairman of SOC, said: “We’d like to thank the B&Q Foundation for the funding. Being able to create the community garden, workshop and learning centre is going to make a real difference to the community. It will provide a place to socialise – but also to learn how to save money by doing jobs yourself at home.
“It was great to welcome the team from B&Q East Kilbride through our doors to tell them all about the work we will do with the money they and their customers have helped to raise.”
Catherine Burge, chair of the B&Q Foundation, said: “Supporting Our Community does absolutely vital work in South Lanarkshire providing a community space. We’re really pleased to be able to support them through a B&Q Foundation grant and help them to create an even better space for those who use its service.”
SOC was set up by a group of volunteers from Hillhouse, Burnbank and Blantyre, including couple Mark and Donna Rouse.
The initial plan was to open a centre to provide support to families who were struggling to access the statutory services required regarding mental health. But, following the tragic death of Mark and Donna’s daughter, Darian, from suicide in December 2018, the plan was strengthened and included many more services for the community, leading them to where they are today.