Willmott Dixon Partnerships' Birmingham north branch has lent a helping hand to repair and makeover a collection of garden benches in the Soho area so that older residents can put their feet up once again.

The team of Willmott Dixon volunteers were approached by Soho Housing Liaison Board members for their help at the sheltered housing site in New Spring Street.

The communal benches in the communal area had fallen into a state of disrepair and desperately needed a lick of paint, with some also needing repair work. So, to ensure residents' safety, the tradespeople happily took on the task.

Jenny Jones, Willmott Dixon's local Customer and Community Officer, said, "We are often on the lookout for regeneration and repair work for our volunteering projects and this seemed like a perfect opportunity for members of our team. The benches were becoming a bit of an eyesore but a coat of paint and a few screws has really made a difference to them and the area, and the local community are very happy with the improvement."

Willmott Dixon Partnerships is currently working with Birmingham City Council to repair and maintain 60,000 properties in the city. It's two contracts for the north and south of the city includes the areas of Edgbaston, Hall Green, Northfield, Selly Oak, Ladywood, Erdington, Perry Bar and Sutton Coldfield. It aims to reduce the cost of this service by £47m over the five year terms of the two contracts.

Willmott Dixon Group is one of the UK's largest privately-owned capital works, regeneration and support services companies.

With over 158 years of experience, the company provides services within the built environment to Government, registered social landlords, local authorities and private sector clients throughout the UK.

Willmott Dixon Partnerships works with social housing landlords, currently providing support services to over 120,000 homes, 1,200 public buildings and 50 commercial properties across the UK.