April 24, 2018

Wellington Curtain Bank comes to Porirua

Wellington Curtain Bank is returning to Porirua to make it easier for the community to get free, lined curtains ahead of winter.

The Curtain Bank, supported by Sustainability Trust, provides free curtains for people with Community Services Cards who need a hand warming up their homes.

Porirua families can pick up a curtain order form at the Whānau Centre in Cannons Creek between April 30 and May 11, drop it back with their window measurements, and then come back in a few weeks to pick up their curtains.

Waitangirua parents Amanda Clarkson and Alex Forde got curtains for their rental home late last year, after reporting to a social worker that their house was cold.

“Not long after we first moved in here, in winter, it was very cold. There was no underfloor insulation, the insulation in the roof was minimal, and the curtains were very,very thin. So I said to our whānau worker, what can we do? So she referred us to you [Wellington Curtain Bank].”

The family got lined curtains for the living room and their daughter Sophia’s bedroom and, through another Trust-run initiative, the house was installed with underfloor insulation and the family given a heater.

“It’s made a huge, huge difference. Even in summer because it’s keeping the house cooler. We’re expecting it to be warmer in winter too.”

Wellington Curtain Bank has been bringing Porirua communities curtains since 2011, and in that time has warmed up the homes of 470 local families.

Across the region each year it gets lined curtains to more than 550 low-income homes, reducing power bills, increasing comfort and improving health. The curtains are made from donations of pre-loved curtains, so the service also reduces textile waste going to landfill.

ENDS

© Scoop Media