In the Christchurch Area, CPPS operates community work in Christchurch and Rangiora. Find contact details for the Christchurch Area.
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Excerpt from Community Works , Issue 3, June 2005 |
Sometimes Community Work gets a little off the wall – literally!
Offenders in Christchurch have had the task recently of dismantling part of an historic brick wall in the central city and recycling thousands of old bricks.
The two metre-high wall forms part of the boundary to The Music Centre of Christchurch – a group of historic buildings dating back to 1881 that once belonged to the Sisters of the Mission. They’re now used by various community groups and managed by a charitable trust.
Centre manager Linda O’Dea says the wall had developed a dangerous lean in recent years due to old age and vibrations from heavy traffic passing nearby.
“It started to crumble so it became a health and safety issue. We were issued with a writ by the local council so we either had to repair or remove it.”
With no funds to make the wall safe, the Trust sought permission from the Historic Places Trust and local authorities to remove a 60m stretch of wall.
Linda says with help from offenders on Community Work sentences, the trust ended up with around 10,000 bricks to sell to pay for new fencing material. And until the wall’s rebuilt, passers by can enjoy a rare view of the buildings once hidden by the solid wall.
“I can’t speak highly enough of the supervisors, and the offenders have been brilliant and doing a really good job.
“We really appreciate it because we didn’t have the funding to do this work, nor have we got the manpower.”
The old chapel has amazing acoustics and provides a great venue for singers and musicians to practise and perform.
The wall project is the centre’s first with Community Work offenders. Linda says she came across CPS by chance after a team of offenders was on site helping another community group.
“What’s been amazing for me is that so many of them are interested in what the buildings are and what we do here. It’s been a learning experience for them as well, just being able to work in such a special place.”