Volunteer group are flushed with success

ROSSENDALE’S Veterans in Communities group have given a helping hand to a local charity by upgrading its toilet facilities.

Veterans in Communities, based in Haslingden, helped upgrade the facilities of Positive Start, a community volunteer organisation on Bury Road in Rawtenstall Bacup company J and J Ormerod provided the new toilet and sink, while VIC removed a wall to allow the toilets to be made more accessible for people with disabilities.

The two groups had worked closely together before with VIC assisting in collecting food for the food group which meets on Fridays as well as distributing food to those shielding during the Covid lockdown.

Positive Start volunteer Jo Shakeel said: “We want the building to be able to be used for different groups, but the doorways wouldn’t accommodate the width of a wheelchair.

“VIC kindly volunteered to help remove a wall to allow the toilets to be made more accessible and we are putting in rails.”

Jo also said she is hoping that adult learning classes may be able to use the facilities in the future.

“Once the facilities are in place, the building can be used by other organisations in the local area,” she said.

“We are very grateful to everyone who has helped as we could not have done the project without them.”

VIC operations manager Bob Elliott said: “We were happy to be able to help Positive Start and removed the walls carefully so that as much as possible could be saved and recycled.”

J and J Ormerod also forged links with Positive Start when food from the staff canteen was passed on when manufacturing had to cease in the first lockdown.