Volunteers from Goldsmiths Metro centre take on a community challenge for Whinnies Care Home

Staff from a jewellery store at the Metro Centre, Gateshead ditched their suits for working boots to give something back to the North East community.

A group of ten workers from the Goldsmiths store spent the day renovating allotments at Whinnies Care Home in Sunniside, Gateshead to offer a helping hand in the community.

The team from the leading jewellery and watch retailer, took time out from their store, which is currently receiving a £1million refurbishment programme, with the aim of turning it into the biggest, luxury jeweller in the North East; the new look store is due to be unveiled in July.

Wanting to make a difference to the community whilst the store is closed for the refit, the Goldsmiths team had of a gem of an idea and stepped in to lay paths, plant shrubs, paint and spruce up the garden area at the home, which provides care for adults with learning difficulties.

The allotments which are used by residents at the care home and the local community needed work to make them wheelchair friendly.

Charlotte Dicks, a co-manager at the care home who has worked at Whinnies' for two years said: "A resident said that they would like some allotments on the site so they were made in 2006 and we've been working on them ever since.

"The problem we have is much of the site was inaccessible for wheelchair users and it was going to take at least seven or eight months to do it ourselves.

"But Goldsmiths have done it all in one day - it's wonderful.

"It looks fantastic - what a difference a day makes."

The area is used by up to thirty people per day when it's busy. It's so important for the residents because not only are they able to spend more time outside, but they also can get involved in growing and cooking their own food and potting plants of their own.

A resident, Dennis Nichol, 53, who is wheelchair bound, said: "I love potting my own plants, I enjoy going to the allotments. We love the pond and now because we have the path I can go watch the fish. What the staff from Goldsmiths have done is amazing."

Jonathan Roberts, 46, the general manager of Goldsmith's at the Metro Centre, of Cramlington, Northumberland, said: "Goldsmith's is a big company that is looking to give something back to the community as we're having a £1m refit in our store.

"Today has been very enjoyable and rewarding and I think that we can all be very proud.

"It's been helpful to us as a team, but more importantly it's helping other people here that will use these allotments for years to come.

CIC Community Intergrated Care, who own Whinnies Care Home is a not for profit service provider, delivering a wide range of services from residential and nursing care for older people to supporting adults with learning disabilities and mental health issues, substance misuse, homelessness and younger people's services

The newly refurbished Goldsmiths store, which is planned to open in early July, will be a state-of-the-art flagship showroom that will boast the company's first Rolex Shop-in-Shop Boutique, which will sell a number of exclusive products.