Help at hand for the Stepping Stone extension project
“It is both a charitable cause and an important community resource that provide an essential service to people in need. This is why we decided on the donation,” Dalla Pria commented.
THE donation of a skidsteer, together with a highly-trained operator from Bobcat Equipment South Africa, has allowed a much-needed extension project at the Stepping Stone Hospice and Care Services in-patient unit in Alberton to get off the ground.
The extension, from eight to 14 ward units, is the result of the donation of a 435m² second-hand park home, used previously as offices by Kim Scanell from Grayston Travel, Stepping Stone CEO Tersia Burger said.
Russell Cruickshank from Cornerstone Projects will oversee the transformation of the dilapidated building into a first-class care facility.
However, an unforeseen problem was that the site had previously been used as stables, which meant that a 0.5m layer of compacted compost first had to be removed. Bobcat marketing manager Madel Dalla Pria said Stepping Stone approached Bobcat about hiring a skidsteer.
“It is a local charity and hospice that relies on donations from the community and surrounding businesses in order to provide a safe and comfortable resting place for terminally-ill individuals,” Dalla Pria said. It is for this reason that Bobcat took the decision of donating the machine and operator for a day, as opposed to Stepping Stone having to hire the equipment, and therefore run the risk of depleting its limited budget.
“It is both a charitable cause and an important community resource that provides an essential service to people in need. This is why we decided on the donation,” Dalla Pria commented. The highly versatile yet compact S185 skidsteer loader played a critical role in site levelling and preparation for the mooted extension project.
“Stepping Stone was really happy with the donation of the machine and operator, as well as the timeframe in which we were able to complete the project. Initially, we thought we would have to hire the machine for a three-day period, but our efficient and friendly operator Elliot Mbongwa completed the project in a single day,” Bernadette Battersby from Bobcat internal sales said.
Tersia added that Stepping Stone was grateful for the donation of the skidsteer loader and the operator from Bobcat, in addition to the highly professional and efficient approach of the entire team. This resulted in the much-needed extension completing its first phase successfully, which encompassed site-levelling. Project completion is anticipated by year-end.”
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