When the lift opened, water poured out with the bottom floor of the building submerged.

That was the sight that greeted hard-working, Byker-based charity Newcastle Carers after a burst pipe left the basement floor of their building out of action.

An independent charity that supports some of the 26,000 carers in Newcastle, the unfortunate incident left them with closed offices at their Shields Road base and a lack of space to welcome young carers for weekly groups and to hold organisation-wide meetings.

Megan Henderson, Groups and Activities Worker at the charity, said: “We were in the office and heard the words ‘there’s a flood,’ which caught us by surprise.

“We ran downstairs to see what the commotion was and could only get so far because there was just so much water; it was like a swimming pool.

“This caused a lot of concern and panic, especially concerning water mixed with electricity so all staff were evacuated and the fire brigade called.

“We were shocked and saddened to realise that the carers we support – adults, children, and young people – would be greatly impacted by this flood.”

But in the spirit of community, Winn Group has stepped in to offer the charity full use of its boardroom for staff meetings free of charge to help keep Newcastle Carers functioning as close to capacity as possible.

The charity’s Chief Executive Officer Austin McNamara said: “We are so grateful to our neighbour, Winn Group, for offering us their boardroom for our staff meetings after the devastating flood in our own building.

“This has enabled us to continue meeting as a team, which is so important for a busy charity like ours. We are hoping that we can build on this public-spirited gesture and establish a longer-term relationship that is of benefit to both organisations.”

Janet McCrindle, Winn Group Head of Office Management, said: “When we heard about what happened, we were eager to help with the logistical side of things in any way we could.

“We’re proud of the community we’re based in and give back wherever possible. Newcastle Carers do tremendous things by providing vital support for carers in the city, so helping them do that was an easy decision.”

*If you’re a carer and wish to access their support services, click here to find their website or give their Carers Information Line a call on 0191 275 5060.