Five Melville staff and two employees from R3, based in Haddington, spent a day volunteering at the popular community venue, helping to give parts of the building a much-needed refresh.

The team carried out a range of work including painting, plasterwork repairs, sanding and general maintenance, helping to spruce up areas of the Beacon which had started to look a little tired.

The community work comes hot on the heels of Melville and R3 agreeing a two-year extension to its reactive repairs and voids contract. The existing agreement was due to end in March 2027, with the extension meaning R3 will continue to provide day-to-day repairs to Melville’s nearly 2,150 properties until March 2029.

“I am very pleased that we’ve been able to agree an extension to our current contract with R3,” said Rich Murdoch, Melville’s head of asset management. “And it was also great to be able to mark the continuation of our partnership by getting out into the community together.

“There’s no such thing as a perfect service, and there’s always room for improvement, however R3 has performed consistently well, recording high levels of customer satisfaction and low levels of complaints while also meeting demanding response time targets. I look forward to continuing to work with them over the coming years.”

Providing a range of services, activities and spaces for local groups and community events, the Gorebridge Beacon is an invaluable local hub. The volunteering day allowed Melville and R3 staff to put their practical skills to good use while helping to maintain a facility that plays a vitally important role in the community