North West Pensioner Is Building Homes and Futures

FRESH off of the plane from building homes in Cape Town, South Africa, in an initiative spearheaded by Archbishop Desmond Tutu, volunteer Imogen Clarke is now turning her hand to a housing charity closer to home - Liverpool's Habitat for Humanity.

The Granby-Toxteth development is international charity Habitat for Humanity's first delve into the north west of England, and aims to build 32 new properties for local families who could otherwise not afford their own home - substituting a costly cash deposit for ‘sweat equity' in the construction of their new home.

Imogen, 64, and her friend Pat, 69 have been working as volunteers alongside the new home owners and other helpers - proving that age is but a number when it comes to lending a helping hand, and volunteers of all shapes and ages are welcome in Liverpool.

Imogen, from Saddleworth in Greater Manchester, says: "I can't fault Habitat for Humanity for what they do and how they go about it. I had such a great time in Cape Town and I'm glad that I have been able to introduce a friend to the work they do. I hope to be able to come back to help them again."

Imogen was one of 60 volunteers from the UK who worked on Habitat for Humanity's Desmond Tutu Community Build. They joined forces with volunteers from the USA and India to build 12 new homes in partnership with low-income families from Mfuleni township, 30 kilometres outside Cape Town.

Imogen adds: "The Desmond Tutu build made me realise how important neighbours are and how vital it is that we help each other out. It was amazing to see what it meant to people to finally be given a proper home of their own and I know that there will be a similar feeling in Liverpool where families who thought they would never be able to afford their own home can finally have somewhere to call their own."

Imogen became involved with the Habitat for Humanity cause after going to a fundraising event for the charity in Edinburgh with a friend who had already been involved with the charity. She says: "My friend really enjoyed her volunteer work and she was 58 at the time, so I thought if she can do it, so can I. "It was wonderful to hear Desmond talk in Cape Town - there wasn't a dry eye in the house. All of the locals knew about Habitat as well and recognised our t-shirts, they were really grateful for what we were doing."

Imogen and Pat are just two of the volunteers at the Liverpool Habitat for Humanity (LHFH) project, who are making home owning a reality for low-income families in the local community.

Revd Dr Shannon Ledbetter, chair of LHFH, says: "Internationally, Habitat for Humanity is a huge charity and has built 225,000 homes in 92 different countries. It is less known in the UK, with only a handful of projects, and the Liverpool site is our first scheme in the north west but with the first three homes almost complete and volunteers coming from all over the world, it is really starting to take shape.

We are always looking for more volunteers to join our regular helpers and Imogen and Pat just go to show that you don't need any prior experience or special skills - we can find something to suit everyone and, as they say - every little helps."

Habitat for Humanity is dedicated to eliminating global poverty housing and relies on donations of money and materials, as well as the labour of volunteers and future homeowners alike to build homes.

In Liverpool, prospective home owners are given the opportunity to substitute a cash deposit by instead investing 500 hours of ‘sweat equity' in the construction of their new home. This labour then counts as a £10,000 down payment on the property.

The home buyers work closely with other volunteers, under the supervision of a trained site manager and other construction workers, and many businesses from across Liverpool and further afield have also been on site for corporate team building sessions.

Whilst no previous experience or skills are necessary to become a volunteer with LHFH, the charity would also love to hear from people who do have experience and could act as ‘team leaders', as well as qualified tradesmen such as plumbers and electricians who could help out with specialist tasks.

For further information about applying for a property or volunteering with Liverpool Habitat for Humanity, tel: 0151 280 6232, or e-mail: info@liverpoolhfh.org.uk. The charity's website is www.liverpoolhfh.org.uk, which has a link to their film, ‘Build, Donate, Participate'.