Salford church celebrates new kitchen

Salix Homes and its partner contractor Emanuel Whittaker have come to the rescue of a cash-strapped Salford church.

We have teamed up with building specialists Emanuel Whittaker to upgrade the old kitchen facilities at St James’ Church community hall on Eccles Old Road in Weaste.

The church hall is a well-used facility for local groups, but was in desperate need of a modern kitchen.

Church warden Trevor Palmer said: “The hall is regularly used by local community groups including brownies, guides and a dance group, but we felt we could accommodate many more if we had a modern kitchen.

“We’re very grateful to Salix Homes and Emanuel Whittaker for coming to our aid. The new kitchen facilities are fantastic and will be of real benefit to the whole community.”

Last month (April) Emanuel Whittaker began improvement work on 230 properties on the nearby Tootal Estate in Weaste after being appointed by Salix Homes to help deliver our ambitious two year investment programme, which will see 2,200 homes across Salford undergo £22m of much needed improvements including new kitchens, bathrooms, windows and doors.

Mark Foster, head of investment at Salix Homes, said: “Salix Homes is committed to supporting the communities where we are delivering our home improvement schemes and working with our partner contractors to improve local facilities.

“When we heard that the church needed some assistance we were more than happy to ask our contractors Emanuel Whittaker to carry out the work. St James’ Church community hall is an excellent community resource and we hope their new kitchen facilities will make a huge difference for residents.”

Emanuel Whittaker worked alongside sub-contractors Rixonway Kitchens, Moffat and Riley Heating Services and RMS Electrical Services Ltd to rip out the old bar area and carry out the kitchen upgrade which is worth around £5,000. Appliances were purchased with a grant from the Big Lottery.

Paul Robinson, site manager for Emanuel Whittaker, who was the project manager, said: “It’s nice to know that we have been able to provide a long lasting community legacy for the Claremont and Weaste community and all of us involved were delighted to have been able to help.”

All the companies involved in the project are part of the Procure Plus Framework, a social housing provider framework service, and share a common goal to invest in communities to create value and support appropriate legacy projects

A special service was held on Wednesday, May 6 to celebrate the opening of the new kitchen facilities and Emanuel Whittaker unveiled a plaque to commemorate the project.