For ten years the only sound was the rainwater leaking from the roof and the wind rattling through the crumbling masonry. But now a former sign-making factory is buzzing with the sounds of children and young people bursting with ideas, hope and energy.

The old factory - that had a section of tree growing through it - is now PJ's Community Services where a wide range of activities and courses are on offer to the community thanks to a unique combination of business sense and belief.

Peter and Claudine Reid (pictured right) bought the 9,000 sq ft property in Thornton Heath, Croydon, for £210,000 ten years ago and have turned it into a facility with five music recording studios, a day nursery, teaching rooms, a hall, meeting place that has become an oasis of hope.

PJ's blends business ideas with community service to benefit clients from children who have fallen through the education system to lonely, elderly people.

The ends of the caring spectrum are illustrated by a troubled teen, whose default answer was violence, emerging to become a youth worker helping others and a pensioner whose life expectancy was measured in months surviving and thriving for a decade and more.

PJ's Community Services was the idea of 46-year-old former BT engineer Peter Reid who used his redundancy money and a £5,000 loan from the Prince's Trust to set up a shopping services business for the elderly in 1992. Graduate Claudine joined for work experience, stayed and the couple later married and had two children.

"It's been quite a journey since we started this place which was derelict and looked terrible," said Claudine, who has been awarded an MBE for her services to the community. "But we have built something special here.

"Peter was looking for something more satisfying and felt he had something to offer the community so put his redundancy into a business that could help people. After university, I expected to end up in the City with a swanky job but I came, stayed and don't regret a moment."

PJ's first steps into social care were running an intensive business of 750 deliveries to elderly and housebound people starting in Wandsworth, and progressing to south London. The scheme was a success and they were soon dealing with contracts from eight other boroughs.

But when their drivers said the elderly people were asking for extra care, they saw a need and got re-trained to provide home help.

"The business grew naturally and we are always looking at ways we can help more," added Claudine, a Social Enterprise Ambassador who is also a Government advisor on promoting enterprising culture. "We wanted to do something for those less fortunate and home care seemed a sustainable business move and something worthwhile.

"It is often the little things that have impact such as one elderly woman, who had difficulty caring for herself, suddenly saying that she was now the ‘sweetest smelling woman in Croydon' after our help had given her some pride and dignity back."

The couple, who have two children aged nine and 11, ploughed any profits back into the business. Their impressive sustainable model helped secure small grants from the local authority and a business loan and mortgage from a bank.

 "We have the freehold but we have a mortgage and PJ's has to be self-funding," added 34-year-old Claudine. "We've had some challenges with cash flow and problems like most businesses.  PJ's puts a lot into the community but we have to be aware that we are a business first; without that we could not function."

PJ's hires out its space to a diverse range of local groups and the home shopping initiative has been replaced by home care as the main revenue generator.

The centre has become a crucial support for young people who struggle with mainstream education and finding their way in life. Drawing on the skills and commitment of carers, community workers and teachers it is able to tailor events to promote youth and demonstrate their potential.

A recent scheme brought together a group of children and bosses from Nando's restaurant on a collaboration to make a CD. Both groups were initially wary about how they would be viewed by the other but the process demonstrated to the Nando's team what local youth could do and showed the teenagers that can achieve no matter what their background.

"That was an incredible exercise," said Claudine. "It was 1 ½ days together and lasting relationships were formed. It was team building and education at its best.

"For whatever reason, these children struggle. This is a deprived area in so many ways but we are part of giving them a chance. We work on music, media, business and the arts and help them develop so they know they have something to offer society and by giving them the skills and experience to make it happen.

"We have them with ASBOs, tags and seemingly slipping away but you can see they want to change. They tell us they want to go back to school, to learn and to be someone and we have to do everything we can to give them that chance."

PJ's runs learning support classes and has helped pupils achieve school grades way beyond their dreams.

One group on the point of exclusion from school were so fired with enthusiasm by the mentoring and learning courses that they returned to take GCSE exams a year early and gain a string of A and B grades the following year.

"It was so rewarding to see that. We want to have maximum impact on the people who come to PJ's. It can be tough and there have been sacrifices along the way but we almost see PJ's as one of our children" said Claudine.

Claudine and Peter have won multiple awards and acclaim for their community work and after 17 years still maintain energy and commitment to enterprising business.

www.patreid.co.uk