THURROCK Adult Community College in Essex has had a refresh thanks to a volunteering programme between home improvement retailer, Wickes, and social enterprise, VIY (Volunteer It Yourself).
Nineteen young people from The Prince’s Trust worked with VIY and Wickes to help redecorate parts of the college and build a new kitchenette for the students and teachers to use. Following completion, all 19 volunteers gained two accreditations in Health and Safety and Painting and Decorating. This formed part of VIY’s ongoing work in Thurrock this year, helping disadvantaged young people in the area.
This project was supported by the Wickes Rayleigh store, which donated all the tools and materials required.
Alan Dalton, Lead VIY Mentor said: “We’ve been working in Thurrock throughout the year and it’s been really worthwhile working with young people across the area. Throughout this project, we’ve helped young volunteers gain practical skills they’ll be able to use in the future, as well as creating a nicer space for students at this community college.”
Tom Flynn, Team Leader at the Prince’s Trust said: “I would like to say a big thanks to VIY and Wickes for all their support on this project. The VIY team went above and beyond to make sure the young people felt confident and helped them gain new skills. As we also work with a special needs group, we all had to remain very patient and understand their individual needs. My own team enjoyed learning from VIY who helped raise aspirations, confidence and teamwork. Both the special needs team and Prince’s Trust can now hand the project back to the community college, where the students will be able to work in freshly decorated rooms, which were in need of a little TLC!”
