Elderly residents throw house party with a difference to celebrate homes upgrade

Elderly residents in Stratford throw a house party with a difference
 
Elderly residents threw a party with multi-cultural flavour to celebrate the completion of major upgrade work to their housing scheme.

Southern Housing Group has invested heavily in the Decent Home improvement project at the Samuel Lewis Trust Estate, Janson and Gurney Road, Stratford.

Sixteen bedsits were converted into eight one-bedroom flats and all residents now benefit from new bathrooms, kitchens and windows.

Year six pupils from Maryland Primary School treated residents to an all-singing, all-dancing performance, and the audience wasn’t shy to get up and dance either. Party-goers enjoyed a variety of food from Asian samosas to very British scotch eggs.

Mr Douglas Harvey (pictured), 87, who has moved into one of the newly transformed one-bedroom flats, said: “I’m really pleased with my new home. It’s so much bigger than my previous place here. My new address is lucky for me too.

"My best friend used to live at this address years ago when the properties were all bedsits. He died many years ago now, and when I found out I was moving into the exact address he used to live at, but better, I was thrilled. Living here feels like a special way to remember him.”

Scheme Manager, Hannah Gottshalk, said: “It’s been a pleasure to celebrate such big improvements to our residents’ homes, almost a year since work here began. A huge thank you to EPS Group, who carried out all of the renovation work and have become friends in the process, and to our Residents Action Group, which has made the organisation and running of today such a success.”

The renovation work forms part of the Group’s commitment to providing high quality housing for all residents. Southern Housing Group is one of the largest housing associations across London and the South East. The Group manages around 4,000 homes in 14 boroughs across London.