World-renowned construction company, ISG, has given a wonderful gift back to its local community by providing a brand-new kitchen to The Sick Children’s Trust’s Stevenson House, a ‘Home from Home’ for families with a seriously ill child being treated at The Royal London Hospital.
Stevenson House is located just minutes from children’s wards and supports families by providing a warm, welcoming place to stay at the most stressful time of their lives, completely free of charge.
“Our kitchen spaces at Stevenson House are vital for our families, who often cook meals after a long day on the ward supporting their children”, said Imtiaz Pathan, House Manager of Stevenson House. “It is a place where they can bring a touch of normality to their day by cooking a meal or making a cup of tea. They often connect with other families who are going through similar experiences to them. However, after 20 years’ service and having supported hundreds of families, the kitchen was very much in need of a refit.”
The old kitchen at Stevenson House, prior to ISG’s refit.
This is where ISG – whose London office is located in Aldgate High Street – stepped in, refreshing the existing space with a fantastic new kitchen complete with new units, induction cooker, fridge-freezer and more. The refurbishment ensures that families staying at Stevenson House can continue looking after themselves in the best way possible for many years to come.
Having raised over £30,000 in goods and labour from their supply chain – including nearly £6,000 worth of kitchen products from department store giant John Lewis, with numerous contractors from East London dedicating their time and resources, free of charge – the ISG team spent eight days bringing the project to life.
“We didn’t want it to feel clinical or like a sterile hospital café, it had to feel homely and comforting”, said ISG Project Manager Danny Joy, who has first-hand experience of the charity’s work, having stayed at their Guilford Street House ‘Home from Home’ when his own son was being treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital in Bloomsbury. “When families are spending weeks or even months in and out of hospital, they want to have somewhere to cook nutritious meals in a sanctuary away from the lights and the noise of a hospital ward. We’re over the moon that we could play a part in helping families to do this.”
Speaking about the new kitchen at Stevenson House, The Sick Children’s Trust Corporate Partnerships Manager Charlotte Webster said:
“It’s so much more than a gesture of goodwill for the families that stay at Stevenson House, it’s a chance to feel a sense of normality they so desperately crave at a very traumatic time. We now have a space that feels modern, cosy, and relaxing for the families to spend time not only with each other, but also to connect with other families in a similar position to themselves to find solace in one another. We can’t thank ISG enough for pulling this all together, it’s truly amazing.”
Stevenson House Manager Imtiaz Pathan (left) speaks to a family staying at our ‘Home from Home’.