Two businessman who launched their own company just over a year ago have completed their biggest project to date.
Robert Jones and Daryll Evans, both from Peterlee, founded facilities management and maintenance company Eden Facilities after working together on projects in previous roles.
Earlier this year the duo was awarded a contract by South Tyneside Adult Recovery Service (STARS) to redevelop an additional facility in South Shields, which was housed within a former café and take away.
And recently the building was officially opened, with the aim of helping even more vulnerable people who need support to manage and beat their addictions.
Daryll, 41, who is a tiler by trade, said: “We were delighted to be awarded the contract to redevelop two buildings for the South Tyneside Adult Recovery Service, particularly as it was fairly early on in our business journey.
“And we were certainly thrown in at the deep end with it, as it was a tough project to manage in the early stages. We faced a few challenges along the way but even with those snags, we were able to complete the project in three months.
“The team was delighted with the quality of the development. It is the perfect space for them and is really enhancing the support they’re able to offer.”
While Daryll undertook the renovation of the building, Rob handled the maintenance and compliance, with the end result seeing a complete transformation from two run-down buildings that were full of rubbish, to two clean and friendly spaces that provide a safe haven and support for residents in South Tyneside who have substance misuse challenges.
Rob, 35, who recently became a father for the first time, added: “Daryll and I have proven that we are able to manage large scale, complex projects, so we are now looking at expanding our portfolio and winning work across the north.
“There is a couple of projects we’re quoting for and if we are successful, they would supersede the South Shields redevelopment as our largest contracts to date. We’re confident that we will get at least one of them, which would be guaranteed work for us for several months which gives us the stability we are keen on.”
Alison Sharp, area manager for South Tyneside Adult Recovery Service, which is part of the national Waythrough charity, said: “We had outgrown our site at Cookson House and knew we needed more space to allow us to develop our service offer.
“We found the premises at Queen Street, but they needed so much work doing to them, it was hard to visualise how they could look.
“Rob and Daryll have been great. They took on the redevelopment project and within three months had completed all of the work and we were able to move in.
“From here we can offer enhanced recovery and rehabilitation services, including structured group provision, drop-in groups including wellness Wednesday sessions, aftercare support for community detox programmes and a range of one-to-one interventions. We support anyone over the age of 18 from South Tyneside who needs us.
“This new facility is perfect for us. It’s relaxed and welcoming for people who are often very nervous about accessing support. I cannot thank Rob and Daryll enough for how seamlessly they undertook the work.”