A Bedford Facebook page helped a local charity in their hour of need this week after their mobility step was taken from outside their building.
A local handyman saw the plea from the SMART Prebend Centre on the We Are Bedford Facebook group and within an hour had made and delivered the replacement.
The SMART Prebend Centre offers a warm space, food and support to anyone who is homeless, vulnerable housed or socially isolated, so it provides an essential service to many local people.
As well as offering warmth and sustenance, the Prebend Centre supports clients with all manner of issues, including filling out forms, making important phone calls and helping with CVs.
To ensure the Prebend Street building is accessible to anyone with mobility issues, the centre places a temporary step outside during busy times.
“We have a few clients with accessibility issues, so we purchased the mobility step to make it easier for anyone to come in,” explained deputy manager, Sarah Harnan.
“Unfortunately, earlier this week it was taken, making it difficult for people to get in and out.”
Needing to find a solution quickly, Sarah shared a post on the We Are Bedford Facebook group, which has just welcomed its 45,000th member.
“I had a brainwave and decided to ask on We are Bedford if anyone had a spare one we could have,” said Sarah.
“A lovely local fellow, Manuel Falcon, answered almost straight away and offered to make us one, which he did within the hour and dropped it off.”
The We Are Bedford group was set up in 2010 with the aim of connecting the Bedford community and making a positive difference to the town.
“When we heard about this story, it perfectly demonstrated the purpose of the group we set up over 10 years ago,” said group co-founder and Bedford Independent co-editor, Erica Roffe.
“Its aims were to put people in touch with each other, make good things happen and highlight the best of Bedford. Sometimes those aims can get lost among the recommendations for Chinese takeaways, but, despite the group growing bigger than anything the volunteers who run it could have imagined, the heart of the group has always been the same.”
Sarah described Mr Falcon as a “hero” who leapt at the chance to help them in their hour of need.
“We can always use help with handyman/woman jobs around the centre so if anyone has any time and would like to volunteer to help please let us know,” she said.
If you have any DIY skills and would like to offer your services, please email info@smartcjs.org.uk
