Plymouth Community Homes (PCH) has made a £1,000 contribution to Leigham Community Hall’s refurbishment project through their Social Value Fund to help maintain and upgrade the space which is frequently used by local residents and community groups.
Social value can be a financial contribution, additional resources, time or equipment gathered through procurement at PCH. Suppliers and contractors can make a social value contribution as a way of giving back to our residents or the communities we work within. All financial social value contributions from suppliers are added to the Social Value Fund which is used to benefit residents in a number of ways.
At PCH, it is important that purchases made create an overall positive impact on our residents and communities, which are always at the heart of our decisions. Staff from across the organisation sit on our internal Social Value Fund panel, where requests for support for local community groups or initiatives, to residents who are experiencing hardship via the fund are considered on a case-by-case basis.
Since its creation over 50 years ago, little maintenance has taken place to maintain the condition of Leigham Community Hall which is owned and operated by St Edward’s Church in Eggbuckland and in 2022 a project to refurbish the Hall began following a building survey that revealed the need for major work.
The Community Hall is the main centre in the area for community activities which is used by our residents, including weekly bingo, football training and the Janner Men’s Shed and the local residents and users of the hall would be lost without it. The Janner Men’s Shed is a community group that aims to promote the well-being of men by providing a safe, friendly, and inclusive environment where they can come together to work on projects, share skills, and socialise.
The roof was renewed in 2023 as part of the first phase of the refurbishment project, and earlier this year, David Loynes, the Treasurer at Leigham Community Hall kicked off a Crowdfunder to raise £20,000 to contribute towards the second phase of the refurbishment. As of 9 April 2025, they have raised over £16,000 on the Crowdfunding page alone, with additional fundraising contributions already received, including a contribution from the National Lottery.
In April, members of the Social Value Fund Group at PCH agreed to contribute to the Crowdfunder which closes today, 9 April 2025. Justin Francis, Head of Strategic Procurement at PCH and Ryan Huws, Communities Worker at PCH visited Leigham Community Hall earlier this week to present David and the Janner Men’s Shed members with the £1,000 contribution.
With the support from the fundraiser, they hope to install double-glazed windows to increase insulation, install security grills on the windows for security and refurbish the flat roof over the reception area to prevent leaks that occur during the inclement weather.
Justin Francis, Head of Strategic Procurement at PCH, said: “It’s a pleasure to be able to support such a worthwhile reimbursement of a prized local community facility.”
David Loynes, Treasurer at Leigham Community Hall, added: “Thank you to Plymouth Community Homes for their contribution and support. We hope to continue to raise even more funds for the refurbishment project, which will greatly benefit the local community once completed.”
