A group of independent kitchen retailers have collaborated on a Kitchen for a Keyworker project to give away a fully fitted kitchen to someone who has helped their community during the lockdown.
The winner, Jade Edwards, was selected from more than 300 nominations. She formed an ‘Adopt your Street’ scheme as a way help the most vulnerable in her local area and to encourage people to volunteer their time to help others during lockdown.
The retailers that collaborated on this project were: Coalville Kitchens, Audus Kitchens in St Albans and Wokingham, John Damien Kitchens in Sawbridgeworth, Butlers Kitchens in Deeside, Rugby Fitted Kitchens, Algarve Granite in Northampton, Ridgeway Interiors/Ridgeway Kitchens in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire, KSL in Sudbury, Aristocraft Kitchens in Birmingham, JDL (Jonathan David Ltd) in Benfleet, and Butler Interiors in Lancaster.
The group of kitchen specialists donated a new, fully fitted £15,000 kitchen as a way to celebrate showrooms reopening and to bring some joy to the people helping on the frontline during the pandemic.
Edwards’s scheme grew from her just helping on the estate where her mum lives to become more than 65 volunteers across 120 streets. Twice a week, 140 meals were delivered for the elderly and vulnerable and the volunteers helped with food shopping, picking up prescriptions, or even dog walking.
There were 46 people that nominated her for the kitchen – the majority didn’t personally know her before the lockdown.
Edwards was grateful for the kitchen and said in a Facebook interview: “I’m not one who wants to be acknowledged. Don’t get me wrong, it is wonderful, but it is not about ‘oh, look what I am doing’. It is just about getting up and helping. If someone says thank you, then that is a bonus. If they don’t, you just keep doing it.”
The judging process had a shortlist of 23 people and Lindsay Blair, editor of Kitchens, Bedrooms & Bathrooms Magazine, and Shelina Permalloo, MasterChef 2012 winner, author and restaurateur, chose the winner.
Blair said: “Jade Edwards was named the winner. Aside from the amazing number of nominations, it’s clear that Jade is a true community star. Her work during the pandemic in providing care, support and meals to her local community, and then widening her efforts by encouraging many others to get involved in helping their local residents, just about sums up the positive things to come out of this challenging and deeply uncertain time.
“Jade is dedicated to caring for others and improving life for the people she comes into contact with. What an inspirational and selfless lady. I truly believe a new kitchen, created to perfectly suit a family, can be life-changing, so can’t wait to see the finished look of Jade’s kitchen and hope it brings her and her family lots of happiness.”
Suppliers that also supported the initiative include Schüller, Neff, Caple, Insinkerator, Quooker, Cosentino and the 1810 Company.