Hope has become one of the first charities in the country to receive a £5,000 grant from the B&Q Foundation.

The grant will be used to convert an office space in Hope House into a new bedroom, which will house 2 homeless people at a time. Hope House is Nottinghamshire’s only 24/7 emergency access hostel, and can house up to 22 homeless people at any given time.

Liz Mallender, service manager at Hope Community Services, said: “We’d like to thank the B&Q Foundation for the funding. The grant awarded will enable us to offer two more homeless people a place to stay and support to ensure they are able to move on from homelessness for good.”

Colleagues from the B&Q store in Worksop visited HOPE to find out more about the work that the B&Q Foundation has funded through the sale of face masks. They also dropped off some tools, plants and offered some help and advice on the project.

Liz said: “It was great to welcome the team from B&Q through our doors to tell them about the work we will do with the money they and their customers have helped to raise.”

Catherine Burge, transformation director at B&Q who chairs the B&Q Foundation, said: “Hope Community Services does absolutely vital work supporting people in Worksop going through a hard time and that really need their help. We’re really pleased to be able to support them through a B&Q Foundation grant and help them to create even more accommodation for those who use its service.”