ELDERLY people can get help for their expensive home repair work from a new charity project.

Let’s Make A Change has been offered a grant from Malvern Town Council for £2,387 to set up its “Make Better and Mend” project.

Co-founders and co-director Chris Lee and Polly Reehal have set up the project to help bring affordable repair work to Malvern’s over 60s population.

Mr Lee said: “We have noticed that lots of pensioners are finding it difficult to afford repairs and find tradesman when they have things happen like doors coming loose, fence panels falling down – so that’s where we step in.

“There are some tradesmen in the area charging between £70 - £80 per hour and pensioners just can’t afford it.”

The pair have found that since the Covid-19 pandemic, tradesmen are difficult to find, especially for small jobs around the house at a reasonable price.

“Despite the apparent affluence of the Malvern area our recent survey showed many local residents are suffering economic hardship, with 46 per cent of the over 60s that we spoke to reporting they are in, or approaching, financial difficulty because of the worsening inflationary situation in the country.

“People are being forced to choose between eating and keeping warm, and even urgent household repairs like broken locks have to be put off.

“Our qualified and experienced team, all with enhanced DBS Certificates and Public Liability insurance of £5,000,000 in place will provide this valuable household repair service on a pro-bono basis.

“Call out and labour will be free, we will just ask for payment for any materials used.

“These costs will be quoted and agreed in writing before any work is undertaken.

“The service will be offered unconditionally, free at point of delivery."