Kimberley Edmunds, Volunteer Coordinator at Leonard Cheshire Disability, and Steve Watts, Wales & West Utilities Performance Manager for North Wales with the mural at the day centre
A Colwyn Bay disability charity is to give visitors to its day centre a warmer welcome after gas emergency and pipeline service Wales & West Utilities has helped bring a Leonard Cheshire ‘family’ welcome to its reception area.
Wales & West Utilities, which operates the gas network across Wales and the south west of England, has worked in partnership with its extended family - design agency Synergy Creative - to install a large family tree mural to make sure that visitors have an insight into the 63 staff members working out of the centre.
The centre, which provides multi-service care to disabled people across the north Wales area, has been running in Colwyn Bay since 1969. The artwork, which has been installed in its reception area, represents staff as the heart and soul of the charity and gives visitors and users of the centre a personal insight into the staff working there.
The project was enabled by Wales & West Utilities’ partnership with Business in the Community. As a member of Business in the Community, Wales & West Utilities commits to acting responsibly as an employer, neighbour, customer and supplier, whilst actively engaging and supporting other organisations.
Kimberley Edmunds, Volunteer Coordinator at Leonard Cheshire Disability, explains:
“Our centre in Colwyn Bay is a care home but also provides assisted living and respite for people living with disabilities. As you can imagine each day we have many people coming through our reception area.
“We have always wanted to provide a focus in the reception and want to make our visitors as comfortable as possible. With our staff being the lifeblood of the charity, we thought there was no better way than to showcase them so that visitors knew a little about who they are before they have even met them.”
The family tree contains staff images and gives an insight into who they are and what their role is at Leonard Cheshire Disability, they also contain an interesting personal fact.
Kimberley continued:
“We were delighted when BITC put us in touch with Wales & West Utilities. We’re thrilled with the work that they, and Synergy, have put into this project and the results have exceeded our expectations. We have already had several positive comments from visitors and people now feel at ease coming into the centre. We can’t say thank you enough!”
Steve Watts, Wales & West Utilities Performance Manager for North Wales said:
“When we learnt of the project at Leonard Cheshire Disability we were only too happy to help. We are delighted that Synergy, our design partner, came on board and the results speak for themselves. We hope that visitors to the centre continue to enjoy the artwork for many years to come.”
Leonard Cheshire Disability is a charity supporting disabled people in the UK and around the world to fulfil their potential and live the lives they choose.
Gemma McGrattan, director at design and marketing agency, Synergy Creative, added:
“We were delighted to put our design skills to such good use and work in partnership with Wales & West Utilities to brighten up the Leonard Cheshire reception area. The mural is a fantastic way to promote the staff and celebrate the great work they do every day.”
Wales & West Utilities, the gas emergency and pipeline service, takes pride in serving Wales and the south west of England. If anyone smells gas, thinks they have a gas leak, or suspects carbon monoxide poisoning, they should call us on 0800 111 999 and our engineers will be there to help, day or night.
The company also has a multi-million pound, 30-year gas pipe investment programme which began in 2002. Old metal pipes within 30 metres of buildings are being replaced with new long-lasting plastic pipes with a lifespan of more than 80 years, to make sure homes and businesses continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply now and in the future.