Dewsbury-based Rixonway Kitchens, a manufacturer dedicated to community regeneration, is supporting the Harrogate Homeless Project’s hostel refurbishment through the donation of a large family kitchen from its popular Trieste range.

Rixonway Kitchens supplies kitchens to the social housing sector and understands the need to build strong local communities. The Harrogate Homeless Project complements Rixonway’s ethos by working in the community to support vulnerable and homeless adults.

The Harrogate Homeless Project was established in 1991 by Churches Together to provide accommodation to 16 adult residents between the hours of 7pm and 9am. The project refurbishment involves an upgrade to a full hostel model, allowing residents to stay in the accommodation 24 hours a day. The refurbishment means the project is now able to offer the same number of resident’s individual rooms with new shared shower, toilet and kitchen facilities.

The £225,000 (approx) project is being funded by the Governments Places for Change programme and a number of individual contributors. Harrogate Borough Council, who provided the architectural plans for the work, are project managing the refurbishment.

Nick Greenall, Operations Director at Rixonway Kitchens, said: “Rixonway Kitchens are dedicated to all aspects of Community Regeneration, including worklessness and homelessness as tackling these issues is essential to creating Sustainable Communities.”

Liz Hancock, Project Manager at Harrogate Homeless Project, said: “Rixonway Kitchens’ donation really helps the refurbishment as every penny saved can be spent on essential services for our residents. Having a kitchen donated to the project is a real bonus and we are hoping to soon reach a stage where we have enough donations that the work can reach completion quickly so we can continue our essential work in the community.”

Rixonway’s work with Harrogate Homeless is the latest activity in the company’s corporate social responsibility programme that sees it working with a number of organisations including the Wellington Hill Residents Association in South Leeds who has also recently received a brand new kitchen from Rixonway.

Formed in 1978, Yorkshire-based Rixonway Kitchens is the only UK kitchen manufacturer working solely in affordable and social housing. It manufactures 12,000 rigid units per week, employs over 400 people at its UK HQ and state-of-the-art manufacturing site in Dewsbury and 40 roving designers who operate nationwide.