Open Hands (Leicester, Leicestershire)

Lifting up those who support others

Open Hands is a Leicestershire charity providing emergency support and care to those who need it most in their community. Taking referrals from professionals or organisations, it helps individuals and families by supplying food, clothing, essential items of furniture and offering practical help, advice, skills training and mentoring opportunities.

Its multi-purpose centre is home to its furniture and clothing bank as well as hosting weekly hot meal evenings. In 2023, the charity delivered more than 850 items of furniture to individuals and families so required a simple but effective solution for moving bulky and heavy stock around the centre’s upper and lower storage areas.

“Open Hands is doing some fantastic work helping those less fortunate, but a large proportion of their work is manual, and they needed a simpler and more accessible way of transporting their goods around the centre to make things easier for their volunteers.”

– Regional Sales Manager Nick Gibbons

A cost-effective solution

Gartec suggested the Aritco PublicLift Access, which is a cost-effective commercial lift solution, for the Open Hands team. Designed for public environments, the lift’s safety features, and weight capacity of 410kg, make it an ideal option for transporting goods and passengers for ease of movement between the centre’s two floors, as well as improving access for people with disabilities or mobility issues. It also has the lowest maintenance and operating costs on the market, which was an important consideration for the charity as they were purchasing the lift with funds raised by generous supporters. The team opted for a through-car arrangement (two-door entry) so each floor’s multiple storage areas could be accessed simultaneously.

Office and Facilities Administrator at Open Hands, Zoe Cartwright, said:

“The charity receives donations from all over Leicester from supermarket customers to individual supporters. We have over 100 volunteers giving support in different ways, including helping in the food bank, and cooking and serving hot meals for the homeless and those in need on designated days.

Prior to the lift, we would have had to use the stairs to move the furniture and clothing around. It’s been a godsend. We love it.”

Specification

Lift: Aritco PublicLift Access

Technical details: Two fire-rated doors and through car on two floors

Reasons for purchase: Accessibility and convenience