Dulux Decorator Centre customers support training of 300 young people

We began our partnership with Dulux Decorator Centre in February 2023, with an in-store campaign for the sale of paint stirrers and tin openers at counters across its 230+ stores directly supporting the City & Guilds accreditations earned by our learners in painting and decorating. We’re delighted to announce this alone has raised an impressive £35,313, which has supported 300 young people achieve their Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditation. This amounts to around 50% of all painting and decorating City & Guilds accreditations achieved by VIY learners over the last year.

Over the last year, the paint merchant has donated a staggering 4000 litres of paint to our projects so far, making a positive impact on over 57,000 lives, alongside colleagues and customers volunteering. Just like Dean, featured below, a Decorator from the West Midlands who volunteered on our project at The Bradby Club in Rugby.

Our partnership has expanded to offer Dulux Connect members additional benefits to volunteer on VIY projects, and offer further training, apprenticeship and employment pathways to VIY learners following their training on VIY projects in their business.

Duncan Lochhead, Commercial Sustainability Manager at Dulux Decorator Centre, said: “Our partnership with VIY has been incredibly rewarding and we are proud to offer our continued support for the year ahead. As well as donating paint to VIY projects, we are also committed to supporting the next generation of skilled tradespeople get their foot on the ladder and begin their journey into the trade. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with VIY, colouring more lives and supporting young learners in the years to come.”

Hear from Ali, a VIY learner who is now on a multi-trade apprenticeship with Dulux Connect member, Ian Williams

Fancy volunteering your skills and experience with VIY?

See more of our partnership with Dulux

VIY to renovate more grassroots cricket clubs & community spaces across Greater Manchester

We’re celebrating the renovation of 20 of 30 grassroots cricket clubs we’re delivering in 10 priority areas across Greater Manchester over three years, as part of the Inspiring Generations cricket strategy for Greater Manchester.

We’re also delighted to confirm we’ll be renovating an additional four cricket clubs funded by the GMCA Community Grants Programme in partnership with Lancashire Cricket Foundation, with the aim to increase participation in Adult Skills, as well as two further community spaces across Wigan and Stockport through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Here’s the VIY headlines so far on the Inspiring Generations programme:

• over 270 young people have taken part in free hands-on volunteering opportunities
• working in collaboration with youth organisations such as Groundwork, the Hatch programme and the Prince’s Trust
• 26% of young volunteers were female – 25% higher than the UK proportion of tradespeople who are female
• over 70% have gained an Entry Level 3 City & Guilds qualifications in skills such as Carpentry, Painting & Decorating and Health & Safety
• a record-breaking VIY project with 69 young volunteers at Hindley Cricket Club
• introducing young volunteers to local cricket facilities they may continue to use and benefit from

Meet Logan, VIY Volunteer at Deane & Derby Cricket Club

See all of the clubs renovated so far

14 volunteers from Dulux Decorator Centre work alongside local young volunteers to redecorate Micklehurst Cricket Club

Sandy Mitchell, Head of Heritage & Community Wellbeing at Lancashire Cricket Foundation said:

“The additional project funding from the GMCA Community Grants Programme is a great example of how we can build on the success of the GMCA Inspiring Generations Strategy to make a positive difference to even more individuals and communities through cricket. To have delivered 20 VIY projects across Greater Manchester is a great achievement and I look forward to seeing another 14 projects delivered with VIY, which will help to provide a long lasting impact on both the young people they support, educate and train and the cricket clubs themselves.”

Talk to us about opportunities for young people you work with in Manchester

About the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025. The Fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business, and people and skills. For more information, visit https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund-prospectus