Legion's handy van service wins national award
23 June 2011
The Royal British Legion's handyman service Poppy Calls has been awarded a Commendation for the Handyperson Service of the Year Award.
A free service designed to help members of the Armed Forces community to remain independent in their own homes; Poppy Calls offers help with those awkward jobs around the house.
The service received the commendation from Hazel Blears MP in the Handyperson Service of the Year category of the Foundations Annual Home Improvement Agency Awards 2011 sponsored by Stannah and Mears Group PLC.
The awards ceremony was held at the House of Lords. The gala event was attended by several senior Members of Parliament and government ministers including Baroness Sally Greengross and Baroness Hanham.
The Royal British Legion was commended for its handy van service which has completed in excess of 28,000 small repairs across the UK, since its inception in 2007. Carrying out essential repairs and adaptations, such as grab rails, security door and window locks, ramps for wheelchair access, the main focus is to enable independence.
The Legion's Poppy Calls Manager, Frances Parker said: "We are delighted to be recognised with this prestigious award. Currently there are well over 9 million people in the UK eligible for the Legion's support and a significant number of these people find it difficult to maintain the independent lifestyle they once had in their own homes. Poppy Calls enables them to live independently whilst feeling safe and secure in their own homes."
Poppy Calls has been congratulated by Communities Minister Baroness Andrews, who said: "Home improvement agencies provide a lifeline to the most vulnerable in our communities, enabling older and disabled people to live independently in their own homes. I would like to congratulate this year's award winners, who are setting the benchmark in good practice and are challenging other HIAs to improve their services even further."
Andrew Chaplin, Director of Foundations, the national body for home improvement agencies, said: "The Annual Home Improvement Agency Awards recognise innovation and good practice. The high number of entries we have had this year shows the quality of the services that the staff at The Royal British Legion have developed."
The Royal British Legion intends on building on this success by increasing capacity to deliver this life changing service to even more beneficiaries.
For more information contact:
Alisha Chapman, PR Officer, The Royal British Legion
T: 0203 207 2487 E: achapman@britishlegion.org.uk
