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Keepmoat passes a better homes milestone in Wakefield

Housing specialist Keepmoat has marked the completion of improvements to 5,000 tenants' homes in Wakefield with a celebration at the latest house to benefit from the work.

The company has been working on a massive project to refurbish and modernise up to 12,000 local homes, on behalf of Wakefield District Housing (WDH) and in partnership with NPS.

The landmark 5,000th home belongs to Doreen Wooffindin and her husband John, who were visited by colleagues from Keepmoat, WDH and NPS and given a bouquet of flowers to mark the occasion. Keepmoat is now well on the way to completing half of the scheduled improvement works in the areas around Castleford, Featherstone, Normanton, Pontefract and Knottingley.

The Wooffindins have benefitted from improvements including a new kitchen complete with cupboards and fittings and a new bathroom with sink, bath and toilet. They have also had their property re-wired, re-plastered, and had electric central heating installed.

Doreen said: "The house looks beautiful; the kitchen is fantastic with good quality units and lots of workspace.

"I feel very lucky to have been part of this celebration - and really grateful to have had the work completed."

As part of the modernisation programme, WDH is set to invest £700 million in improving residents' homes by 2012. Improvements include new windows, doors, kitchens and bathrooms, complete re-wires, rendering, new central heating systems and the replacement of old gas fires and boilers.

Keepmoat Contracts Manager Rob Thomas said: "The fact that we are now in the process of completing our 5,000th property just goes to show how many residents are benefiting from the improvements in the Wakefield area.

"It is fantastic to see the area being revitalised in this way and the works are making a profound difference. We really are bringing about a fantastic transformation and we've already had some excellent feedback from local residents. I am delighted that Mr and Mrs Wooffindin are happy with the improvements they have received."

The improvement programme has also benefited local unemployed people and other disadvantaged groups by encouraging them into the construction industry through the Wakefield Homebuilder programme.

The programme, which provides comprehensive training in partnership with Groundwork, has provided local people with new skills and employment opportunities.

Paul Taylor, Special Projects Officer at WDH, said: "We are delighted to be half way through the refurbishment programme which is giving a new lease of life to people's homes as well as improving the appearance of neighbourhoods across Wakefield."

In March this year, Keepmoat won three 'Considerate Constructor' awards for the high quality regeneration and home improvement works carried out in Wakefield. Judges praised the consideration shown towards local communities, tenants and the environment by the Keepmoat team.