March 2012 – we are now finished!

Howards Farm Cottages are officially up for sale! There are 2 garages for Cottages no 1 and 2 and off street parking for 2 cars at Cottage no 1. There are gardens to the rear and lawn to the front. Stockers Lane is a private road – small, countrified, quiet and secluded. Sales will mean instant “give aways” for our Charities so wish us luck! See the news page for more pictures and details …

Nearly Finished Now …

We made good progress in December and January despite more difficult weather conditions and now we have three almost completed houses. Carpet is down in no 3 and kitchens are almost there! The next stage will be instant gardens…….

Team Hard at Work!

The whole of the Woking Project team have been in full swing over the last few months, both on and off site, from building the roof, installing the electrics to plumbing the kitchens, to choosing bathrooms and selecting tiles! Meet some of the team, and take a look at what we have all been up to.

Shopping for Bathrooms!

Whilst the builders were hard at work on-site, we took to Burge Gunson to source fabulous bathrooms, en-suites and cloakrooms- at discount prices of course!

First purchase made! May 23rd 2011

About 9 hours and 3 visits later, the 3 kitchens have been confirmed at B and Q!  Thanks to the patience of Bruhnil and the co-opeation of the branch manager at Wandsworth, the houses at Woking will have amazing modern appliances and 3 different looks. Charlotte and Bruhnil know every kitchen on display!

May 2011

As of May 11th when legal completion took place, Give it Away owns part of Howard’s Farm, Stokers Lane, Woking where building has begun.  We have planning consent for a row of 3 houses which will reflect the country style of the property next door and its surroundings. We anticipate finishing this project in November, having the houses on the market before Christmas and a sale in the New Year.  Ground works have started and Charlotte has been out planning the kitchens and bathrooms which is the exciting bit!  Pictured below is Charlotte (on crutches!) with Jeff Wye , the builder on site discussing the plans.

Give it Away offers work experience

As well as being able to donate funds for specific projects to the Charities which Give it Away supports, I have always wanted to offer as much practical help as possible.  So I am delighted to say that we have a Young Person from Fairbridge, Hackney, working on site at Woking.  The picture below shows Barry who has been on site with Jeff and his team.  I hope that this hands on apprenticeship will enthuse him for a life in property and building! I hope that I can engage some more youngsters on other aspects of this construction and interior design process between now and December.

July 2009

The Penthouse Flat at Queen Mary’s Place is a real penthouse with an all day huge sunny terrace as its crowning glory – I have visited many times and as of November 2009 it is rented out! The two bedroom fist floor show apartment is also rented out to long term clients.

The Penthouse has two bedrooms and two bathrooms ; a huge kitchen living area with black granite surfaces and a white and turquoise modern theme leading onto the terrace. Both bedrooms have access to this terrace. The apartment has all around sound, wooden flooring, and luxury appliances. There is a dedicated underground parking space with direct access to the top floor so security is guaranteed. The views from the terrace encompass Richmond Park and beyond – it is a wonderful entertaining space! The site offers a gym and private commuter transport to East Putney as well as a base for Street Cars so that transport can be rented by the hour.

The profit being generated from the rental of these 2 apartments isbeing distributed to the Charities that Give it Away continues to support.

August 2007

“Since all the houses are now sold, details below, I am concentrating on the Charities to whom I have given the money. I am closely involved in the projects they are running and am in regular contact with them. It is very rewarding to actaully meet the children who are taking delivery of their new motorised wheelchairs, to see the young Polka Theatre group taking shape, to know that the Fairbridge youngsters are out there taking part in projetcs and learning how to trade and make money. Being a Patron of “Yes 2 Life” will be a new experience for me and I intend to work closely with them and others in their marketing and future planning.

The last 2 years has been an enormous learing curve for me and I have been priviledged to have been given access to so much information and have received such kindness from the Charities I am involved with. I hope after my year end in September to take a break and then think how to earn that £300,000 to make my Give Away a total of £1million! The project was more successful that I could ever have imagined and some needy and disadvantaged lives have already been changed as a result.”