CHARITY volunteers decided to get their hands dirty and creat a new community lifeline by themselves after the pandemic threatened to derail their plans. 

Sociability, a family-run charity, was staring down the barrel of failure when the pandemic appeared to have crushed their plans to build a hub for Basildon’s elderly and socially isolated residents.

But as funding partners jumped ship amid the financial uncertainty of the pandemic, the team pulled together to build the project with their own hands.

Sociability, which aims to provide support for people who endure mental and chronic health conditions through socially inclusive activities, have refurbished a vacant building – known as ‘The Guard House’ – in Wat Tyler Country Park.

The project was set to begin in 2020, with the charity facing a £250,000 bill to pay for the works, but Covid-19 decimated those plans.

Echo: The team work on the siteThe team work on the site

“Just about everybody we had on board to help finance the project disappeared over night,” explained charity boss Jonathan Barrow.

“Understandably so, as everybody had their own problems to content with,” the 55-year-old Basildon resident added.

With their funding largely all withdrawn, Mr Barrow enlisted the help of his son, a family friend, and his daughter’s partner, to tackle the build with their own hands.

Echo: They cleared dense brambles by handThey cleared dense brambles by hand

“It's been a real battle to get to this point, 18 months of hard work,” Mr Barrow said, ahead of the centre’s July 1 grand opening.

“When we first got there, you couldn’t even see the guard house through all the brambles, which we cleared by hand.”

The charity raised about £70,000 to fund the materials, giving up their own time to labour over the building.

Echo: The works cost abut £70,000The works cost abut £70,000

And in August of last year, the charity had to apply for retrospective planning permission over the scheme, after being pulled up on the work by council officers.

“Thankfully we can now look back on a job well done.

"We have created a space for people who are in distress, who are socially isolated,” Mr Barrow said.

Echo: The centre will open on July 1The centre will open on July 1

Basildon resident George Scates, 90, will be a guest of honour at the opening.

“George is an unassuming fellow he sadly lost his beloved wife last year on her birthday of all things,” Mr Barrow said.

“George and his wife Jenny fostered well over a hundred children from the area.

"If anyone deserves some sort of recognition it is most certainly him, an absolute lovely fella.”