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28th January 2021

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Benchmarx Kitchens offers support for Bristol homeless charity

The team at Benchmarx Kitchens on Feeder Road, Bristol, has given its support to the 'Help Bristol's Homeless' charity by donating a number of kitchens for use in its innovative shipping container project.

The branch has currently provided two kitchens, including one from one of its latest collections, Richmond Oak (pictured), to aid the completion of the latest containers, which have now been transformed from shipping crates into amazing one bedroom accommodation. These fantastic repurposed homes are designed with the aim of helping to get Bristol's homeless people back on their feet.

Two more kitchens are planned to be installed in the next round of container makeovers, which are ongoing throughout the year. The founder of the charity, Jasper Thompson, aims to have 11 containers available for use by the end of the year.

Visitors to Bristol's recent Balloon Festival had a chance to see these amazing container transformations for themselves, as one of the latest to be created was on show to demonstrate the impressive amount of work that goes into each pod.

"I met with Jasper about eight months ago and, as soon as I heard about his inspiring container project, I knew it was something I and the team at the Feeder Road branch, would want to get involved with," reports Adam Harris, manager of the Bristol branch of Benchmarx Kitchens.

"Working with kitchens day in day out, we know how important they are to help make a property feel like home, but what this project also does, is give additional independence whilst people find their feet again.

"Being involved with the installation of the kitchens and working closely with Jasper has shown what a huge undertaking it is to get each of these containers kitted out and up and running. It has certainly been a fantastic experience and the Feeder Road Benchmarx Kitchens team is looking forward to continuing this support for the next round of renovations."

Jasper Thompson, founder of Help Bristol's Homeless adds:

"The idea of using shipping containers as the basis for a home was a light bulb moment. However, to get them ready for use takes a huge amount of time and expertise.

"We are extremely grateful for the support we have been given from across the community, and are delighted that Bristol's Benchmarx Kitchens branch has been able to help supply and fit the kitchens in the containers. It really helps give each container pod a more homelike-feel and means that people can start to live independently, and regain confidence and skills.

"We are looking forward to continuing to work with Benchmarx to get the next homes ready to go."

The charity has now been granted permission to use a permanent site to increase the bank of container homes available to help homeless people from the Bristol area.

Further information on Help Bristol's Homeless project can be seen at:

www.helpbristolshomeless.co.uk

T: 01179 714150
W: www.benchmarxkitchens.co.uk

28th September 2018