Fraser Court’s £200k makeover is a hit with tenants

Fraser Court tenants Sonia Squires, John Duke, Helen Thomson,  Alistair Johnstone and Monika Bowker with Dunedin Canmore gardener Oonagh Rhatigan.

Dunedin Canmore has modernised Fraser Court in Fountainbridge, built in 1996, with new doors, fresh paint and new carpets throughout communal areas, as well as new plasterboard ceilings and new fire doors. They also put up a new smart TV in the main lounge and revamped the smaller quiet lounge for tenants who want to relax. The kitchen has also been fitted with new doors and additional cupboards.

Residents celebrated the end of the £200,000 refurbishment at a tea party in the freshly decorated main lounge. They enjoyed tea and cake and had a chance to give their feedback to Dunedin Canmore staff about the improvements.

Tenant Jean Ritchie, pictured in the middle above with tenants Henry Fallon and Elizabeth Ball, is delighted with Fraser Court’s new look. She said: “All of it looks good, the carpets are better, it’s clean and bright and tidy. I like the new doors and we’ve got a nice big telly.

“Since I moved in two and a half years ago there’s been a big improvement.”

Housing Officer Dione Hutchings said: “The residents are really happy with the improvements. It looks so fresh and modern.

“The revamped quiet lounge is great. People can use it for a bit of relaxation time. Our painting contractors Bell Group donated two armchairs for the top floor balcony area which has gone down really well.”

And it’s not just the inside of Fraser Court that’s been refreshed. Gardener Oonagh Rhatigan and the Dunedin Canmore Neighbourhood Environmental Team worked with tenants to give the garden a makeover. They cut back all the overgrown plants around the pergola and created a new vegetable patch and raised beds for the tenants to use for planting flowers.

Tenant John Duke, 71, said: “Oonagh has worked non-stop, without her help I wouldn’t have got everything done. I spend a lot of time in the garden and I enjoy gardening, I do a lot of the raised beds. It’s something to keep me active.

“It had got very overgrown on the pergola. The plants on it were over 22 years old. It needed a makeover and they have done a great job. They’ve even created a vegetable patch at the back. I want to try and grow leeks, carrots and peas.”

Oonagh said: “The garden at Fraser Court always had a nice design but it needed a re-vamp for the tenants so they could have a vegetable garden and easy access to the planters.

“The biggest challenge was clearing everything and creating the veggie patch. It’s been hard work but worth it. I’m glad the tenants are so happy with it.”