A quake-damaged home away from home for Christchurch children whose families cannot look after them is nearly ready to move back to its old site.
And for the project's general manager, Paul Blackler, the rebuild of Cholmondeley Children's Charity has been especially close to his heart.
He says he can cast his mind right back to the 1960s when he was sent to Cholmondeley children's home as a three-year-old while his mother was in hospital.
"There are three distinct things I remember about Cholmondeley: the first one was the homestead which again was sadly lost after the earthquakes, the second one was the amazing view out over the harbour and the third one is the playground," says Mr Blackler.
Despite looking like a busy building site at the moment, the not-for-profit organisation offers short-term respite care to children whose parents - for whatever reason - are unable to look after them.
Nestled at the top of Lyttelton Harbour, it's been offering that care for 90 years - but four years ago it lost its historic hillside home in the quake.
"In the meantime we've been going about business as usual," says Cholmondeley's general manager Shane Murdoch. "We relocated after the earthquakes, we've been about 10 minutes up the road and that's where the children stay when they're with us."
Mr Blackler says there are 30 staff currently working on the site.
"The guys have really understood what the project is, what the outcomes are going to be once it's finished - they know that they're having an impact in some way, shape or form on potentially future young lives in the community that they're going to work and play in."
Mr Blackler says he hopes to have the new Cholmondeley children's home completed by June.
3 News
source: newshub archive
