We’ve all faced challenges this year that we’ve never experienced before. Certainly, for Modern Homes, it’s been the most challenging year logistically and in terms of delivering the customer experience we’ve been known for over many years.
As a result, we’ve had to innovate and introduce new services such as our Virtual Kitchen Design Service. This has proved incredibly useful for our customers, but we couldn’t have done it without their help and support.
That got us thinking. How could we end 2020 on a high?
Then, it struck us. While this might have been the hardest year in our 52 -year history, there are some people out there who have achieved true hero status during 2020.
So, we decided to give something back. Something quite huge, actually!
Searching for the hero
We’re lucky to have incredibly lovely customers who have supported us throughout these tough times, and that has enabled us to continue working and ensure the business has a future.
We therefore felt an overwhelming desire to say, “thank you”, somehow.
That’s when we decided to run a Facebook competition. We wanted to find a hero in Warwickshire who has made a real difference to people’s lives. As a “thanks”, we decide that we’d give away either a bathroom or kitchen – fully installed.
How we did it
Giving away a kitchen worth nearly £23,000 is no small feat, and we simply couldn’t do it without the support of others.
The first thing we did was chat to our brilliant suppliers. They have also stuck with us through thick and thin, and 2020 has been a team effort of epic proportions.
The most amazing thing was how quickly they all jumped on board. They all shared our desire to give something back and didn’t hesitate to offer their support, expertise, and products for the lucky winner.
And the winner is…
By now, you’re probably wondering who was chosen for this amazing gift.
To make it as fair as possible, we created a panel consisting of us and some of our suppliers and they were tasked with choosing a worthy winner – an unenvious task when it became clear just how many local heroes were out there.
There were so many positive and heart-breaking stories that flooded in. It was both uplifting and humbling to hear how people have stepped up and tackled challenges and responsibilities few of us will ever get to experience.
Alas, there could only be one winner, and the panel eventually chose Sarah Dowling, a care worker in Leamington who has gone above and beyond every single day for her residents.
“She is absolutely one in a million,” confirmed one nomination.
Having tragically lost her husband at the age of 48 to a brain trauma and her mother the same month to bowel cancer, Sarah has endured an incredibly tough ride personally. But, as her residents, friends, and family were quick to point out, she takes everything in her stride and always has a smile on her face.
“During this pandemic she is working 16-hour days, putting herself and family at risk to ensure our elderly are not forgotten,” said another nomination. “Last night after 12 hours she was baking a cake at home, so some old soul’s birthday didn’t go unmarked. She loves to cook, and a new kitchen would be like a lottery win for her!”
“We’ve had the pleasure of meeting Sarah, and she is indeed a truly lovely person,” said our very own Tina Riley. “We’ve been a bit naughty and not told her exactly what she’s having in the new kitchen, because we want it to be as much of a surprise as possible. Suffice to say, no expense has been spared, and thanks to the overwhelming support from our suppliers, it’s going to be absolutely stunning. I can’t think of a better way to end the year!”
Sarah is, of course, one of countless local heroes out there who has kept this country functioning as normally and happily as possible during 2020. We owe them all a huge debt, and we’d therefore like to sign this blog off by saying a heartfelt thank you from the Modern Homes team to all of our local heroes.
Here is some images of the latest developments from Sarah’s new kitchen installation!
The latest update…..
We’re finished! See the pictures below for the after pictures of our prize kitchen installation for Sarah.
