“Niche supported us through a challenging time. They never lost interest in helping us in terms of specification, or planning or costs. We are incredibly happy about that.”– Kerry Millet, Chairperson
The Broadstairs Town Shed, located in Kent, is a volunteer-led initiative. The Shed is a focal part of life in Broadstairs, providing the community’s older people (ages 55 and older) a place to get together and partake in rewarding DIY woodwork and metal-work based activities.
Since originally opening its doors in 2014, this life-enriching community project has grown and grown, with more people becoming involved each year. Today, The Shed has become an integral part of so many Broadstairs resident’s lives, and to this day, the volunteer-led Broadstairs Town Team are proud of the service they are able to provide.
The Shed is a two-storey building, and as result, mobility was often an issue for some of its members. Navigating the stairs and transporting equipment between the two floors was resulting in difficulties that needed to be alleviated in order for the workshops to continue to serve the members and visitors as intended. Due to this, Niche Lifts were commissioned to supply and install a fully-clad passenger platform lift that was also suitable for the transportation of goods between the building’s floors.
This project spanned over a two-year period; the reason for such a long timescale being that as The Shed is a volunteer-funded amenity, the members themselves had to undertake their own fundraising operations in order to procure this much needed service. Kerry Millet, Chairperson of The Town Team, stated, “Niche were very supportive and understanding throughout the whole, rather long process.”
Niche’s operatives worked onsite, alongside The Shed’s friendly and inspiring community members, and the installation was fully completed in December 2018. Subsequent to its commissioning, everyone has been delighted with the access the lift provides the members and visitors, both in terms of overcoming mobility issues and in safely transporting the workshop supplies within the building.
The Shed’s members, volunteers and Trustees have all been very complimentary of both the lift and the Niche team’s efforts, with Kerry Millet further emphasising, “Niche supported us through a challenging time. They never lost interest in helping us in terms of specification, or planning or costs. We are incredibly happy about that.”
