Over 100 young people upskilled thanks to Toolstation

As one of Britain’s fastest growing suppliers of tools, accessories and building supplies, we began working with Toolstation in 2021. This expanded our partnership across the Travis Perkins Group, working together to help build a future pipeline of talent in the construction industry, and helping to delivery on the Group’s purpose to build better communities and enrich lives.

Toolstation help to fund young people’s participation on our projects through funding for mentoring and their accreditations, whilst also donating tools, materials and colleagues volunteering on our projects.

Here’s a round-up of our first year with them.

Project #1: Coventrians Rugby Club, Coventry

We kicked off with 28 young people gaining 26 Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations between them over three weeks at the Coventrians Rugby Club project. Work centred on building a new outdoor social and activity space, to enable the club to host more events to boost their own income and refurbish the changing facilities. See this project in action here via social media superstars, On The Tools.

Project #2: YMCA Dickerage, New Malden

We then headed down to New Malden, where Toolstation had recently opened a new store. Wishing to connect with the local community, we transformed the local YMCA Youth Centre in Dickerage.

Daniel Slocombe, Centre Manager for YMCA Dickerage, said: “This is the most excited I’ve been since working here – the refurbishment will make a huge difference to young people and their lives… Community is so important and after COVID-19, the centre is helping bring everybody together… It is more multicultural and multi-generational than ever before.“

Project #3: Southbrook Community Centre, Daventry

Third time lucky and indeed we were, as we were joined by Northampton Saints rugby players Alex Waller and Tom Wood, friends of Toolstation who are sponsors of the club. They came down to help put the finishing touches to our project at Southbrook Community Centre, on their Northamptonshire doorstep in Daventry, building the tables for the community cafe. More on this project in Northants Live.

Project #4: Middleton Select Amateur Boxing Club, Manchester

We then headed north to renovate the changing rooms at Middleton Select Amateur Boxing Club in Manchester, with the help of some of the young local boxers too! Head Coach Martyn Lynch has been overwhelmed by the help and results of the work completed:

“This is fantastic what Zamir and Simon and all the young volunteers are doing for our Middleton Select Boxing Club… all of us at our club cannot thank you all enough for everything, this means the absolute world to me and all our kids and some of them have helped out which is great.” 

Project #5: Wembdon Village Hall, Bridgwater

This time we headed down to Toolstation territory near their HQ in Bridgwater, Somerset, and began work on a large project spanning six months at Wembdon Village Hall. Over 103 days, the new youth space was completed following the erection of new walls, installation of storage, laying of underfloor flooring, plastering of walls, and decorating. More on this project in the Bridgwater Mercury.

Greg Richardson, Head of Marketing for Toolstation, champions VIY and volunteered at Wembdon: “We are really proud to support the Volunteer It Yourself programme and to help young people learn practical trade and building skills and earn a qualification. The construction sector is facing a shortage of workers and we hope that this initiative will inspire more young people to consider entering the trades.”

Another volunteer from The Amber Foundation in Devon, Vanessa-Mae Watson, became our 500th volunteer with Sport England here too.

We look forward to working with Toolstation and the wider Travis Perkins Group on more projects throughout 2022 – stay tuned!

Making our mark in Norfolk – UK Community Renewal Fund

What we’ve done so far

After getting off to a flying start at The Phoenix Centre in Norwich, we’ve since been hard at work at Cromer Artspace, contributing to the long-awaited, ongoing restoration of this treasured seafront art deco space refreshing the interior paintwork and adding toilet and kitchen facilities.

We then headed to Kingfisher Amateur Boxing Club in Great Yarmouth where we’ve been refreshing the interior of the gym floor, including a snazzy new mural of their logo, as well as a new kit storage and reception area at this high impact community club. We’ve had 14 young people join us from our long-time youth partner, Catch-22, who deliver public services that build resilience and aspiration in people and communities, and what an impact they’ve had on the club. 

One young volunteer from Great Yarmouth, Billy, aged 24, who was referred through the DWP, really enjoyed the experience and has now also joined another VIY project at East Norfolk Sixth Form College:

“I enjoyed the course very much, I was feeling anxious at first but the trainers (our Trade Mentors and team) were very understanding and made me feel really comfortable. It’s kept me busy and helped me build my confidence.”

Andrew Smith, Club Manager at Kingfisher also told us:

“Kingfisher are very happy and thankful for the work carried out by Team VIY. Jasper and his team did a great job with our gym and the mural at the gym came out superb. The gym now has a more professional look with the reception area also. Many thanks to all for the great work carried out.”

We’ve worked with some ace young people across the county so far, from the likes of longstanding VIY youth partner, Catch-22, Aspire Project at City College Norwich and the local DWP, as well as many others. Many have achieved Entry Level 3 City & Guilds Accreditations which can help them take the next step in their future.

Boxing clubs: round two

We’ve knocked it out of the park at Norwich Lads Amateur Boxing Club, a historic club in the area established in 1918, as a space for promising young boxers to train and reach their potential. There, we’ve improved facilities and accessibility for a wider demographic, including more young female boxers. BBC Radio Norfolk’s The Social: the show for young people in Norfolk even came down down to see us and featured some of our young volunteers on their show (skip to 2:08:40 to hear us)!

Young refugees, pictured in blue overalls, supported onto the VIY project by City College Norwich, meet Lord Mayor of Norwich, Dr Kevin Maguire (centre) and Chairman of Norwich Lads Amateur Boxing Club, Colin Bates (left)

We’ve also completed College Community Hub Project at East Norfolk Sixth Form College, where we’ve refurbished the indoors and garden areas to improve facilities and make this a multi-functional space for use by the wider community. 

What we’re doing now and what’s coming up!

Next up we’ll be at Marlpit Community Garden in Norwich, creating a wellbeing garden and facilities with the Sustainable Living Initiative, before heading onto Alive West Norfolk Kaset Skatepark, our third ever skatepark project, where we’re building new skateboarding training areas and sprucing up their community cafe area with the help of Dulux.

Click here to keep up to date with the next projects coming up in Norfolk and our full pipeline of projects elsewhere across the country.

*For more information on the UK Community Renewal Fund, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-community-renewal-fund- prospectus

Regenerating across Nottinghamshire – UK Community Renewal Fund

What we’ve been up to so far

Following our vibrant start at The Pythian Club with Nottingham City Council, we’ve since set to work on the next round of 23 community projects we’re completing across the county. 

Since February, we’ve so far worked on five projects across four priority areas with Nottinghamshire County Council, regenerating spaces including:

• Vibrant Warsop Methodist Church
• Bassetlaw Citizens Advice
• Newark Amateur Boxing Club
• The Cuckney Club

Mansfield is one such priority area which includes our fifth project, The Old Library; a Grade II listed building used by the Inspire Youth Arts team for community arts activities, receiving a makeover to its interior and community cafe, to celebrate its 25th anniversary and revitalise the venue ahead of a busy summer of arts activity and performance.

15 young people, including painting & decorating students from the Mansfield campus of Vision West Nottinghamshire College and young people referred through Futures For You and the Inspire programme, have been gaining work experience through VIY whilst transforming the iconic building in their hometown. Executive Mayor of Mansfield, Andy Abrahams, recently paid a visit to the venue and he said:

“As a former teacher, I know that practical work experience is an invaluable part of learning. Working alongside local tradespeople will not only help develop their skills, but improve their confidence and inspire them to reach their full potential – hopefully leading to good quality employment. We want as many of our district’s young people as possible to take advantage of free opportunities like this.

“I’m so pleased that community assets in Mansfield are also benefiting from this project – it really is a win-win for all involved.”

One of our key Trade Partners, Travis Perkins, also began supporting our young people with work-readiness training, helping explore their career aspirations and how they can go about achieving them, with their first two sessions delivered at this project thanks to volunteers from their Apprenticeship & Kickstart teams.

Hear it straight from our young volunteers here, including Daniel, who heard about the opportunity for free work experience locally, whose ambition is to secure an apprenticeship in joinery, who shared the impact of this training and the project on them in this video.

Read about our work in the Mansfield Chad.

What we’re doing now and what’s coming up!

Elsewhere in partnership with Nottingham City Council, we’ve been working at Cavaliers & Carrington Cricket Club to renovate the outdoor seating areas (with great weather for it!) to attract a wider audience from the local, diverse communities, complete with renovated catering facilities to serve this audience and support the club financially.

At Clifton Boxing Club, where we are revitalising the changing rooms, facilities and exterior cladding for this local high impact community boxing club, we held our first ‘Taster Day’, welcoming partners from local youth organisations Groundwork and Futures For You, who have also referred young people onto our projects so far in the region, to see first hand what the VIY experience looks like, ahead of sharing the opportunity with young people they work with. 

Groundwork also successfully signed up four out of six eligible young people to progress from VIY onto their Towards Work programme, working to support with the first vital steps towards gaining employment through a personalised service and support to overcome any barriers they may face. A great step for our young volunteers!

We’re then going full green fingers throughout May, heading outdoors to create accessible, garden spaces at Vale View Summerhouse for older residents and at schools including West Nottinghamshire College, Mansfield and Elizabethan Academy, Retford.

Click here to keep up to date with these next projects coming up across Nottinghamshire and our full pipeline of projects elsewhere across the country.

* For more information on the UK Community Renewal Fund, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-community-renewal-fund- prospectus