Comar Architectural Aluminium, Page Group (Peterborough) Ltd and Vertikal were delighted to have been part of the re-building of The Spinney Centre, Peterborough on behalf of The ‘Little Miracles’ charity.
Comar Architectural Aluminium Systems, PAGE Group Peterborough and Vertikal donated £10K to cover materials, design work, project management, fabrication and labour on-site to erect the striking feature rainbow wall which forms part of a life changing transformation to the centre for disabled children in Peterborough.
The Little Miracles Project, part of the BBC’s charity ‘Children in Need’ was featured in the BBC1 special programme 'DIY SOS: Million Pound Build for Children in Need’ which aired on Wednesday 13th November 2013.
The ‘Little Miracles’ charity runs a parent led support group/centre for children with additional needs, disabilities and life limiting conditions based in Peterborough. They help 800 families and have over 2,500 children registered. A staggering 83% percent of the families that use Little Miracles live below the poverty line, and as such all of the services they run are free of charge. For many of the children that use the centre, ‘Little Miracles’ is the only place they are able to communicate freely, make friends, and most importantly, be themselves.
In October 2013 they had to vacate their original site which was working out of a small semi-industrial space. They were gifted a larger 2½ acre site by the local council which included a 1970’s concrete prefab. However, the building was not fit for purpose. It had no disabled toilets, access ramps or changing facilities. The prefab building also contained asbestos, and it was not secure, most importantly, it had none of the sensory equipment the children depend upon.
The programmes presenter Nick Knowles and his team launched an appeal for help around the local area, and on Twitter, in a bid to round up friends, family, local companies and tradesmen to offer up their services to help rebuild the centre. A BBC spokesperson said: “We are looking for kind hearted tradesman who are willing to be part of the show and donate their time and skills for Children in Need. In return we offer three square meals, lots of fun and the chance to make a difference to the lives of children and their families”.
The existing prefab was demolished and DIY SOS built an entirely new centre using a timber frame structure featuring full wheelchair access, a dedicated sensory room, space for counselling, an office, workable disabled toilets, a working kitchen and an area for the kids to eat, along with distinct spaces for both the young and the older children that attend the centre.