Builder’s boost to food bank

Kilsyth Health Centre main contractors Graham Construction have pitched in to transform the town’s food bank with a major makeover.

The construction company volunteered its expertise to provide much needed work at the Kilsyth Community Food Bank (KCFB) premises in Parkfoot Street.

The heavily-used food bank collects and stores food to distribute to local people who cannot afford to buy groceries.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Graham contributed labour and fittings to paint walls and lay carpet tiles to refresh and renew the building, which stores the food until it is given out.

New PVC windows and doors were also donated by Graham sub-contractors CMS Enviro Systems to improve security and insulation.

Scott Murchison, project manager at Graham Construction, said: “Kilsyth Community Food Bank plays a vital role in the local community, so it was great to be able to provide some of our services to such a useful resource.

“Our mission was to give the facility a new lease of life and make it as comfortable as possible and fit for purpose for the volunteers, and continued use by the food bank.”

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The support from Graham is exactly the sort of practical help needed by the food bank, which relies on public generosity to keep up with demand.

Getting the supplies to cope with the weekly demand is a major challenge, even with so many willing to help, so practical assistance of the sort provided by Graham Construction is doubly valuable.

Many predict the service will continue to see further increases in demand as still more austerity cuts take effect, and as the cost of living continues to rise.

North Lanarkshire Council is making support funds available to food banks to help with running costs, but the ser vice relies to a huge extent on voluntary endeavour.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Lesley Dickinson, co-ordinator at Kilsyth Food Bank said “The new food bank looks great and we are grateful for Graham Construction’s support with these essential works.

“The new facility will allow us to continue to support those most in need within the local community and provide us with better storing conditions.”

Meanwhile Graham Construction has started work on three new community health centres for NHS Lanarkshire in East Kilbride, Wishaw and Kilsyth.

The three projects, which are valued at £42 million, will see a range of health services housed in state-of-the-art centres in each of the towns.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The new two storey facility at Kilsyth will house a GP surgery and incorporate community services including dental care, physiotherapy and speech and language therapy when the centre opens in summer 2015.