A few weeks back now, a team of eager 'decorators' came to transform a dingy, smoke tarnished living room, belonging to a grandmother and her dog. Well equipped, all but one on time and with their sleeves rolled up, this 'city' group got the dust sheets out and went forth...

With a plate of goodies and the kettle boiling, Sally* and Gracie the dog sat in the kitchen whilst the team got on with washing the walls down and popping open the paint tins. There was a lovely neutral colour to go on three of the walls and the ceiling, then a beautifully deep red for the feature wall. I think everyone was taken aback by the boldness of this colour to begin with, including the lady  who chose it! However we trusted it would look great and match her furniture, so on we 'rollered'!

Sally* had kept the fact that the 'decorators were in' secret from her family, particularly the grandchildren. She wanted them to see the finished product, as she told us that the children always tease about how 'boring' she is with her colour schemes, never daring more then off-whites and creams, so this was going to be a bold statement from Gran!  Nevertheless three of them turned up separately over the afternoon, and saw the room at various stages. One granddaughter decided it was worth staying until we'd finished and was delighted with the choice of colour!

Sally*, with the decorating knowledge she'd picked up from 'Changing Rooms', gave us a few tips and knew all the tricks of the trade! So, despite a mild scare with red paint on the carpet, the team had finished what they'd set out to do, and stood back, hands on hips, right on their deadline! Two coats applied, a thorough vacuum and rearrangement of the furniture, this granmother's living room looked transformed, so much brighter and much more homely! The red of the sofa matched beautifully to the red on the wall, the paint came out of the carpet and the eldest granddaughter took on the next task of glossing the skirting boards! Genuine smiles all round!

At the end of the afternoon, Sally* told me that she was determined to try and give up smoking in order to avoid staining her newly painted ceiling! This was great news of kicking-in old habits, particularly as her health was not optimum.

Since the project was complete, Sally* has called the Besom office to tell of how much she is enjoying her new living room! And certainly this was an encouragement to the team!

"I guess just that it was honestly so rewarding being able to serve Sally* in a way that really helped her ,and made her happy." Rob - Time Giver

* name has been changed to protect anonymity.