It’s been a warmer than expected New Year for a community centre in Coventry after the generous installation of a free boiler and heating system from Swale Heating.

Swale Heating is a contractor for Orbit Housing, which has properties around the St Barnabas Community Centre in Foleshill. Their engineers moved in after hearing that the centre needed a new boiler and an upgraded hot water system to continue offering valuable services to local people.

St Barnabas is used by a variety of groups including different congregations, mum and toddler groups, kids clubs and Cook and Eat Well sessions. It also provides an essential service to homeless people; once a week, volunteers provide a hot meal and an opportunity to socialise for between 25 and 30 homeless people.

Issues with the hot water in the kitchen were making this increasingly difficult and, meanwhile, the centre stopped being used as a meeting place for older people because the central heating no longer worked effectively.

Pastor Partap Masih, who runs the centre, says the new boiler and hot water system will make a great difference.

“We’ve been struggling since losing other funding so we are very grateful to Swale Heating for their generosity in not only paying for the boiler but installing everything free of charge as well,” he said.

“Fortem, another of Orbit’s contractors, has completed essential repairs to the roof and are re-decorating some internal areas. It’s wonderful to know that the Centre can continue to be an important part of this community thanks to the support of these two organisations.”

Simon Lieberman, community investment manager at Orbit, says; “The centre is such an important part of the local community and we’re so pleased our contractors have stepped in to help improve the facilities there. We’ve been working to better understand the issues and challenges that the community faces, so that we can empower local people to help arrange activities and interventions to manage some of those issues and improve the lives of everyone living in the community.”