Date: Wednesday 17th, Thursday, June 18th and / or Friday, June 19th 2009
Venue: Liverpool Habitat for Humanity, Kingsley Road, Liverpool 8
Event: International interior designer Lola Bodansky and interior design
graduates from Liverpool John Moores University work together to create
a show home for the housing charity using materials and furniture
donated by local and national companies.
RSVP: If you wish to send a photographer / journalist to record this
event, please call Linda Bright, 0771 002 0026, or Rachael Davies,
07545 504053.
Press release not for publication before June 18th, 2009:
SHOW HOME CHIC THAT’S ECO FRIENDLY – AND FREE!
AN international interior designer, three
first class honours graduates from John Moores University and a host of
generous firms have teamed up to create an eco-friendly show home for a
Liverpool housing charity.
Interior design consultant Lola Bodansky,
who has recently relocated from Liverpool to New York, plus 2009
graduates Nicola Ramsden, Joanne Little and Paul Scott worked with
Liverpool Habitat for Humanity staff and volunteers to create a ‘shop
window’ for the award-winning organisation.
More …
All of the materials were supplied free of
charge, including paint from Eco Dulux, wallpaper from Tektura and
kitchen and bathroom floor tiles from Wirral-based Trustland Group via
the BuilderScrap.com builders’ exchange website.
Supervised apprentices from Huyton
Churches Training Service fitted all the carpets free of charge and the
organisation, which offers work based training, also donated the
gripper rods, floor plates, adhesive and other sundries required.
Other generous contributors included Desso
Carpets, Morris Furniture, Solarshade Blinds, Hacel Lighting, Camira
Fabrics Pilgrim Antiques and paint specialist Akzo Nobel. The rest of
the lighting and furnishings have been personally donated by Lola
Bodansky, recycling her supplies from her design company.
Liverpool Habitat for Humanity is building
32 homes for low-income families on a site donated by the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese at Kingsley Road, in Granby-Toxteth. All cash
generated from housing sales or fund raising is ploughed back into
building more homes so, unlike commercial housebuilders, the charity
had no funds to create an all-singing, all-dancing show home. That’s
where Lola Bodansky and her team stepped in.
Lola, who has worked on both sides of the
Atlantic to create fantastic retail, office, education, leisure and
private residential spaces, said: “I was captivated by what Liverpool
Habitat for Humanity is striving to achieve and wanted to offer my
services to help them bring their homes to the attention of as many
people as possible.
“Currently, future home owners and
volunteers who sign up for the project cannot see inside a finished
property to appreciate the space and quality that can be delivered by
everybody working together in a very unique way. This show home will
change all that.
more ….
“I also wanted to maintain the ethos for
recycling, eco friendly and sustainable products and have been able to
use recycled furniture and accessories as well as some new furniture
donated by our suppliers. The overall setting will be light and airy
with a modern eclectic style, that’s affordable, comfortable and
functional for a family to move right in.
“By involving recent graduates from John
Moores, they’ll be learning to visualise space in the real world and to
work to a limited budget, which will help them as they prepare to forge
careers in interior design.”
Liverpool Habitat for Humanity is unique
in the UK housing marketing, in that it asks home owners to invest 500
hours of ‘sweat equity’ – physically helping to build their own home
and those of their neighbours – instead of a £10,000 cash deposit.
They then purchase an initial equity share
in their home of between 50 and 70%, with the charity retaining the
balance. The home owner pays no rent on the outstanding balance for the
first five years and can gradually ‘staircase’ to full ownership over
time.
Run by a small nucleus of full time staff,
the charity relies largely on volunteer labour to build the homes,
including students, corporate team-builds, church and community groups
and other willing individuals.
Rev Dr. Shannon Ledbetter, chair of
Liverpool Habitat for Humanity, said: “It’s fantastic that Lola and the
students from John Moores University have thrown themselves into this
project with such enthusiasm and dedication. We are indebted to them
and all the suppliers for their generosity and hope that the new show
home will attract many more future home owners to sign up for a home
that will be uniquely theirs.”
Finishing touches are now being put to the
LHFH show home which will open its doors very soon. To find out more
about home ownership or volunteering with LHFH call 0151 707 9440 or
visit www.liverpoolhfh.co.uk.
More …
Editor’s notes:
Liverpool Habitat for Humanity is building 32 homes for partner
families on just over two acres of land generously donated by the Roman
Catholic Archdiocese, on Kingsley Road, in Granby/Toxteth. The project
has also received significant funding from NewHeartlands, the Housing
Market Renewal Initiative (HMRI) on Merseyside.
To date, Habitat for Humanity
International has built over 250,000 homes and operates in over 90
countries. The Granby/Toxteth site is the first such project in the
Northwest and the largest in Britain at a cost of circa £1.9 million.
The Liverpool HFH model – including the
distinct “sweat equity” component - enables families traditionally
excluded from home ownership the opportunity to own an affordable
home. LHFH is offering these affordable homes on a ‘shared equity’
basis.
LHFH has a comprehensive procedure for selecting families. There are
three main criteria for qualification: to live within the Liverpool
City area (that is pay Council Tax to Liverpool City Council); to be
willing to partner with LHFH to put 500 hours of “sweat equity” into
building on the project and to have an income between £10 - £20k.
Applicants who live, work or have a strong connection with the
Liverpool 8 postcode area will be preferred.
Lola Bodansky Design Consultants have opened new offices in New York
City, bringing a touch of the UK and sustainable design to the NY
market. Previously based in L25, Lola’s Liverpool projects have
included creation of a contemporary fresh décor for the ‘Hub’ and
training rooms at the University of Liverpool’s Foresight Centre plus
public space and meeting rooms at the University’s Wyncote Sports
Ground. Lola recently donated her firm’s working resource library to
the John Moores University school of interior design. Information: www.lolabodanskydesign.com.
ends
Issued for & on behalf of Liverpool
Habitat for Humanity by Active PR. Press information from Linda Bright
/ Rachael Davies, tel: 0151 236 2120 - email linda@activepr.co.uk
Ref: apr2009/liverpoolhfh/releases/showhomepresscall1009lb
“I also wanted to maintain the ethos for
recycling, eco friendly and sustainable products and have been able to
use recycled furniture and accessories as well as some new furniture
donated by our suppliers. The overall setting will be light and airy
with a modern eclectic style, that’s affordable, comfortable and
functional for a family to move right in.
“By involving recent graduates from John
Moores, they’ll be learning to visualise space in the real world and to
work to a limited budget, which will help them as they prepare to forge
careers in interior design.”
Liverpool Habitat for Humanity is unique
in the UK housing marketing, in that it asks home owners to invest 500
hours of ‘sweat equity’ – physically helping to build their own home
and those of their neighbours – instead of a £10,000 cash deposit.
They then purchase an initial equity share
in their home of between 50 and 70%, with the charity retaining the
balance. The home owner pays no rent on the outstanding balance for the
first five years and can gradually ‘staircase’ to full ownership over
time.
Run by a small nucleus of full time staff,
the charity relies largely on volunteer labour to build the homes,
including students, corporate team-builds, church and community groups
and other willing individuals.
Rev Dr. Shannon Ledbetter, chair of
Liverpool Habitat for Humanity, said: “It’s fantastic that Lola and the
students from John Moores University have thrown themselves into this
project with such enthusiasm and dedication. We are indebted to them
and all the suppliers for their generosity and hope that the new show
home will attract many more future home owners to sign up for a home
that will be uniquely theirs.”
Finishing touches are now being put to the
LHFH show home which will open its doors very soon. To find out more
about home ownership or volunteering with LHFH call 0151 707 9440 or
visit www.liverpoolhfh.co.uk.
More …
Editor’s notes:
Liverpool Habitat for Humanity is building
32 homes for partner families on just over two acres of land generously
donated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese, on Kingsley Road, in
Granby/Toxteth. The project has also received significant funding from
NewHeartlands, the Housing Market Renewal Initiative (HMRI) on
Merseyside.
To date, Habitat for Humanity
International has built over 250,000 homes and operates in over 90
countries. The Granby/Toxteth site is the first such project in the
Northwest and the largest in Britain at a cost of circa £1.9 million.
The Liverpool HFH model – including the
distinct “sweat equity” component - enables families traditionally
excluded from home ownership the opportunity to own an affordable
home. LHFH is offering these affordable homes on a ‘shared equity’
basis.
LHFH has a comprehensive procedure for
selecting families. There are three main criteria for qualification: to
live within the Liverpool City area (that is pay Council Tax to
Liverpool City Council); to be willing to partner with LHFH to put 500
hours of “sweat equity” into building on the project and to have an
income between £10 - £20k. Applicants who live, work or have a strong
connection with the Liverpool 8 postcode area will be preferred.
Lola Bodansky Design Consultants have
opened new offices in New York City, bringing a touch of the UK and
sustainable design to the NY market. Previously based in L25, Lola’s
Liverpool projects have included creation of a contemporary fresh décor
for the ‘Hub’ and training rooms at the University of Liverpool’s
Foresight Centre plus public space and meeting rooms at the
University’s Wyncote Sports Ground. Lola recently donated her firm’s
working resource library to the John Moores University school of
interior design. Information: www.lolabodanskydesign.com.
ends