The new flagship £1.4 million headquarters for the Red Cross in Worcester will mean a vast expansion of crucial services, and the building will continue to power their progress.
“We will be able to hire out the training hall and the break-out meeting pods to local businesses and that money will be ploughed back into further extending our support to people in crisis,” explains Annie Bibbings, Operations Director for Herefordshire, Shropshire and Worcestershire.
Delighted staff have lost count of the admiring comments visitors make about their ‘Rolls Royce’ of a building, and the newts are pretty pleased too.
The family of rare Greater Crested Newts, who halted construction when they were discovered, are safely ensconced in their protected site and are proving quite a talking point for visitors enjoying the decking with a view over their pool.
Community organizations and charities will be urged to take advantage of the headquarters, alongside the businesses who are invited to hire the top notch facilities.
“The location, off junction six on the M5, is perfectly placed for us to encourage involvement from businesses in south Birmingham,” adds Annie Bibbings.
Her 25 staff are thrilled with the building, designed by Panton Sargent architect Jason Whittall, which is doing good as well as looking good, thanks to special environmentally friendly features, such as solar shading and natural ventilation.
“The new building is fabulous and a significant improvement on the old building, where space was limited even more when it rained, as we had to have buckets to catch the drips,” says Annie.
“We’re delighted with it and grateful to Greswolde, and to everyone, for all the hard work they’ve put in to make this happen.”
“The design is modern and exciting but also very practical, and environmentally friendly. Climate change is a humanitarian issue as well as an economic and political one, because it is affecting people’s lives seriously across the world.”
“As an organization we have our part to play in helping to reduce carbon emission and we are also very pleased to be doing something for the local wildlife, with wildlife garden havens around the building, and the protected newts site!”
 

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