By JEAN-MARIE CHAPUTER, Reuters • LONDON, March 21 (Reuters) – A former house-repair shop in west London has reinventing itself in an attempt to make the capital’s streets safer.
The company, The Woodhouse, aims to bring the neighbourhood back to the days when street repairs were done in houses and are more likely to be seen and enjoyed.
Its founder and chief executive, Alex Wood, says his business is changing the lives of Londoners by providing quality repairs and repairs to the homes of the poor and vulnerable, and has been featured in several major publications.
“It’s a way of doing things that we would never do, or ever have done in London,” he said.
Wood said the Woodhouse has the resources to do more than just repair houses.
It also offers repair services, furniture and other materials for people in need.
He has started to offer repair work in more than 20 homes across the capital, including the former home of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex and the Kensington Palace.
The Woodhouse was founded in 2007 by former residents of the nearby Rivington Manor, which was built in the 1800s.
It’s now owned by a third-generation family and is now operating out of an abandoned house in south London.
Wood says he believes Londoners are becoming increasingly aware of the value of their homes, and that there has been a rise in the number of people looking to fix them up.
“There are more people looking at doing repair and maintenance in their homes than ever before, and it’s something that is being looked at by the council, the housing associations and the landlords,” he told Reuters.
“You’re seeing more people getting involved and the demand for the services that we provide.”
The Woodhouses is also working with a group of charities to create a permanent house repair scheme.
It was founded as a temporary solution to help the homeless in Rivingtons former home, which the RivingTON Trust bought in 2013.
The Trust bought the property for £10,000 in 2013 and it has since been renovated and turned into a three-storey mansion.
The project is one of the largest in the UK.
Its owner, Chris Mather, said the project has given people a sense of belonging and a sense that they can live with the house.
“The Wood Houses is a way to give people something to do, and to be involved in the community,” he added.
Wood’s project has been backed by the RiveTON Trust, a charity set up to provide financial support to people in Riveton Manor.
Its main aim is to provide housing for people who have lost their homes because of the global financial crisis.
The charity also has a building programme in place, including providing a safe home for homeless families.
It aims to make a permanent home for Rivetons family of nine and to help them get on their feet by providing a secure environment for them.
Wood has also been working with the Riverside Foundation, which runs a children’s home for children and young people.
“This is the first time that we’ve seen that the children have actually been able to live in their own home, in their new environment,” said Sarah Smith, who runs the charity.
“They’ve been really positive and the kids have really had a lot of fun.”
The charity hopes to build the home in time for the next birthday of one of its own, and for a child’s Christmas party in 2019.
“Our main aim with this is to get the children up and running, to get them to school, to go to the Christmas party and we hope to get more and more people involved in it,” said Smith.
