The initiative allows staff to take up to a full day’s work a year to help out with local initiatives and or out in the community.

Fresh Start Borders helps people in the Scottish Borders who have been homeless and are moving into their first permanent tenancy, by providing starter packs of basic household essentials to clients as they move into their new homes.  They give families who maybe have no possessions a hand until they can afford to equip their homes themselves.

Irene McFadzen, co-ordinator of Fresh Start Borders, said on this occasion they needed particular help with sorting out all the different sets of curtains that had been kindly donated to the charity. This involved the Eildon staff to measure, pack and clearly label the curtains to help them with future distribution.

Irene added: “The starter packs contain essential household items such as curtains, bedding, kitchen equipment and cleaning materials and these packs are distributed across the Borders by agencies such as Scottish Borders Council Homelessness Service, local housing associations like Eildon and other charities.

“On behalf of Fresh Start Borders I want to convey a huge thank you to the four Eildon staff members who created order out of chaos in our curtain department. The bigger the pile of curtains became, the more it had been ‘left for another day’ so we really appreciate the difference they have made.”