Delivering educational fun in Birkenhead, in collaboration with Equilibrium North West.

Equilibrium North West, a Birkenhead based community interest company, set up the ‘Little Helpers’ programme in an effort to reduce social isolation of parents and carers, whilst raising the aspirations of young children in the area.

Sovini Property Services had the pleasure of delivering the latest session, providing children with a fun insight into the repairs and maintenance we deliver across our affordable homes. Colleagues were on hand to give live demonstrations of the products used, and to encourage children to participate in activities to help them understand the roles people play in society and how they help us every day.

Fellow Group member One Vision Housing supported the event though their Community Development Fund, which provided Equilibrium with the opportunity  to deliver the programme with over 800 hours of educational fun and memory making at Livingstone Street Play & Community Centre.

Jen, who has attended the sessions with her two year old son, said: “The sessions are just fantastic. The ideas the centre comes up with are so creative. We can’t really do messy play at home, so it’s been amazing for my son to get involved in it – his social skills have really developed.”

Joanne, a local childminder, added: “We come every week. There’s always something new for the children to explore and the staff here go above and beyond, so much thought goes into the sessions. The children get to make new friends and experience amazing things. There’s a real community feel here.”

Sovini Property Services proudly partners with One Vision Housing, providing over 13.6k homes across the North West with their property maintenance services. As members of The Sovini Group, working closely with organisations such as Equilibrium allows the Groups vision of creating opportunities and changing lives come to fruition.

Sharon Munroe, from Equilibrium North West said: “We can’t thank One Vision Housing enough for supporting our Little Helpers programme which has been a great success. The sessions have created a place for local families to come together and gain positive learning experiences to reduce social isolation, build confidence and self-esteem.”

Using the HACT Social Value Calculator, which was formed following extensive research to measure the positive impact of social initiatives, One Vision Housing were able to determine that over £576k of social value had been generated thanks to the project.

Mike Dale, Head of Property Services and Growth said; “The opportunity to deliver the latest ‘Little Helpers’ session for Equilibrium North was a mutual ambition shared at Sovini Property Services. To experience the impact our industry knowledge and skill demonstration has on forging a better future for our communities, and shaping the next generation is something we are proud to have been a part of. Our colleagues are our greatest asset, and we look forward to partnering with fellow Group members in the future to highlight their ambition, and what the benefits of working within our industry can bring.”

A total of £15,000 is available each year for voluntary and community groups through the One Vision Housing  Community Development Fund. Applications can be submitted at any time throughout the year.