Seniors in Brookswood are expressing gratitude after a team from the Langley Home Depot spent an entire day last week helping retrofit their activity centre.

A group of nine staff from the local store, dubbed Team Depot, turned up early last Wednesday morning and went to work painting the hall, laying flooring, and installing baseboard as part of an ongoing renovation project at the Brookswood Seniors Activity Centre, explained secretary Lydia Francescutti.

Hailing back to the company's former slogan "You can do it. We can help," store staff are encouraged to help with various community projects, and they definitely helped out on this project, said Francescutti.

"There is still some work to go, but members are already enjoying the fresh look of this charming old building," she said. "This building, once a church, has some great bones but has needed some serious updating and repair."

Home Depot associate Colleen Barnes was among the volunteers from Home Depot who came out to help.

That was her first time there, and she's anxious to return and help some more.

"I had a blast-" said Barnes, who helped out primarily with painting. "Those people were fantastic- those people were really super welcoming and appreciative."

For the past two years several Brookswood members, led by director Bonnie Hartup, have been working to renovate the hall to make it safer, more appealing, and more user friendly.

"We have applied for and received grants from the Township of Langley and from another agency," she explained.

As well, some members and clubs that use the hall have made donations to the cause, allowing them to retrofit with the purchase of some new furniture and appliances, as well.

Last year, Home Depot came and painted the lounge, entrance way, and chat room.

They also donated some much-needed flooring, and with the changes, she said the chat room (craft room) was transformed from a "dungeon to a cozy area for our seniors to meet."

The lounge, "now feels airy and fresh" and is used to hold their Food and Friends luncheons.

"Then, in the fall, Benjamin Moore donated enough paint for our members to repaint our main hall. Over two long days, the hall went from a green fishbowl to a warm, welcoming two-tone space," she elaborated.

"We still have a ways to go," she said, pointing to upgrades to the washrooms and the addition of a wheelchair ramp to the upper hall as upcoming priorities.

"Our mandate is to keep seniors mobile and active. Once the renovations are complete, we hope to attract more seniors to the centre and to expand programming," Francescutti said.

"Without the support of groups such as Home Depot, we would be unable to make any renovations."

In addition to grants and volunteer labour donated to the ongoing renovations, the centre is holding its annual yard sale at the hall on Sept. 8, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., at 19899 36th Ave.

rhooper@langleyadvance.com