We recently donated £2,500 of products to help refurbish a new local sport and fitness community centre, The Quest Centre, in Litherland.

The non-profit organisation has been set up by the director of Liverpool Quest Taekwondo Club, Joanne Lawson. It will be home of the taekwondo club as well as other local sports clubs; providing lessons in a range of martial arts, as well as sign-language classes, Zumba, dance classes and craft making sessions, etc.

On acquiring the venue at 68 Linacre Road in Litherland, Joanne quickly realised that converting it into a useable and safe space would be much more expensive than she had predicted. She contacted a number of local organisations, such as Sovini, asking for support to get the new ‘Quest Centre’ up and running. Sovini Trade Supplies saw it as an ideal opportunity to do something good for the local community.

We offered all the necessary fitting and fixtures for the makeover; which included brand new kitchen units and a sink, two toilet suites, all plumbing fixtures and fittings and flooring for the kitchen and bathroom areas – which had a combined value of £2,500 inclusive of VAT.

Joanne said: “When I realised the costs involved with refurbishing the centre I starting to panic; I had already used my own savings to pay for the first few months’ rent.

“Without the generous donation from Sovini Trade Supplies, the building would still be sitting empty and unusable. I’m extremely grateful to them, as are the centre members.”

Anita Harrison-Carrol, Director of Sovini Trade Supplies, said: “Our business is focused on corporate social responsibility and we believe doing good is good business, and so it’s extremely fitting that we were able to use our product range to directly support a local community group. We wish Joanne and her team plenty of luck in their new venture.”

The centre was initially thought up by Joanne, after the taekwondo group struggled to find a venue where they could practice regularly. She identified that there was a real need for a local affordable facility to accommodate local sports groups.

Since the Quest Centre opened in this summer the number of members for Liverpool Quest Taekwondo Club has doubled and members can now rehearse for the British National Taekwondo Championships as frequently as they wish.

Two other local sports club have also relocated to the Quest Centre, ‘Is Sho Ni Judo Club’ and ‘MSA Liverpool Muay Thai’ boxing academy. Both clubs had issues with their previous landlords, such as rent increases and limited availability.