As the fourth of five tower blocks in Lenton is demolished, another lorry load of furniture and household items has been donated to a Nottingham charity supporting local families in need.
Willoughby Court is the latest of the five Lenton tower blocks to be demolished as part of Nottingham City Council and Nottingham City Homes’ Building a Better Nottingham programme. In place of the blocks will be a mix of 142 family homes, bungalows and low-level flats, as well as Palmer Court, an independent living scheme with 54 self-contained apartments, set to open later in the Summer.
Items donated to The Arches project following demolition have included beds, wardrobes, sofas, shelves, tables, chairs and other smaller household items. Hucknall-based demolition specialist Total Reclaims is demolishing the blocks as the Building a Better Nottingham programme continues to transform the city.
Councillor Alex Ball, Executive Assistant for housing at Nottingham City Council, said: “There is a huge amount of work taking place at Lenton, from demolition of older properties to the development of brand new sustainable homes
“It’s important to the whole Building a Better Nottingham team, and our construction partners that the work we do is not just about the day job and the bricks and mortar of the buildings we’re working with. It’s also about the local community and the environmental and social impact we can have in the surrounding area.
“It’s great to know that the items left in these flats won’t just end up as part of the demolition rubble, but will be reused by individuals and families that need it most. For it to also be used by such a super local charity goes to reinforce our commitment to the local area we are working in.”
As well as recycling 97% of the rubble and raw materials from the blocks, the team at Total Reclaims has been keen to remove any usable items left in the flats by former tenants, so they can be reused elsewhere.*
Company Manager for the Lenton Flats demolition project, Michael Cross, has been overseeing the demolition on-site in Lenton. He said: “As part of the ‘soft strip’ phase of the demolition we clear the whole block and then bring it down bit-by-bit to make sure it’s as safe as possible, with minimal wastage.
“It’s important for us to check each flat as we’re going through and remove what can be recycled or reused. Some of the flats were left exactly as they had been, with tenants leaving with just personal belongings. In this case we assessed what furniture could be useful to someone else and looked into which local charity could benefit.
“We’re really pleased to have been able to donate as much as we have towards The Arches project in Lenton. It’s a fantastic local cause and hopefully we’ve donated enough to get quite a few people off the ground with their new house.”
The Arches project, based at Trent Vineyard in Lenton, relies on donations of furniture, good quality clothing, bedding, household items, children’s toys, baby equipment and electrical goods, to support people referred to them for help.
Cathy Gretton, Project Manager at The Arches project, said: “We’re always grateful for the donations we receive. There are so many people in need of furniture for a variety of reasons. We have people with nothing to furnish a new council home and others who have fled difficult situations.
“In some cases the families who approach us have had to have their children sleeping on cardboard on the floor, so the prospect of getting just some of the basics to help build a home are so important.
“I’m sure those leaving their flats in Lenton would be pleased to know that whatever they left behind has made a real difference to families in need.”
Pictured above from left to right: Cathy Gretton Project Overseer at The Arches Project; Councillor Alex Ball, Executive Assistant for housing, Richard Whittaker, Head of Development at Nottingham City Homes and Dick Mansfield, Manager of The Arches Project