Mental health charity cooking up a treat thanks to Northampton firm

The kitchen at Northamptonshire Mind has been totally revamped thanks to the hard work of a local enterprise.The kitchen at the Mind base in Regent Square in Northampton is used for a whole host of group activities for service users.But the area was run-down and untidy until Mind’s service in Northampton Paul Marshall, teamed up with Fortem and Orbit Housing.

Paul said: “Our kitchen in Northampton has now been totally revamped by Fortem through the social funds of Orbit Housing.

“We cannot thank them enough for bringing this project to life.”

Northamptonshire Mind CEO Sarah Hillier said: “Wow. What an amazing project. The importance and value of the kitchen to service users cannot be over-estimated.

“It provides a safe place for service users to socialise and learn new skills. They now have a fantastic place to prepare and cook food.”

Staff and service users were thrilled at the transformation.

One service user said: “I'm amazed, I can't believe this has happened, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Another said: “I was not expecting it to be like this, I can't believe we have two ovens, two hobs, a brand-new fridge freezer. This is more than I ever dreamed."

Donations and support also came from Fortem’s supply chain, including SR Gill – white goods,

EM&I – white goods, DUO –white goods, CEF – electrical materials, Ambiance Flooring – flooring and

Benchmark – kitchen.

Steve Rhodes Fortem Branch Support Manager said: “When we heard about the great work Mind Northampton do to support the local community it was a simple step to agree to undertake the works to replace the kitchen.“We hope that the upgrades we, Orbit Housing and our supply chain partners were able to provide will help to enhance the engagement and enjoyment the kitchen facility will provide.

“Our company is always keen to leave a legacy in the communities we work in and from the wonderful comment we have received after completing the project we know we have succeeded in achieving this and look forward to working further with Mind in the future.”