VIY brings Dulux Colour of the Year 2026 to life across three community projects

The work has seen young people work alongside VIY mentors and Dulux volunteers to transform community spaces in West Ham, Newcastle and Pontyclun, with all three projects now complete.

The first project completed was at West Ham Boxing Club, where we helped transform a much loved East London community club, which has been supporting local people for more than 100 years.

Over two weeks, the team completely redecorated the club, from the exterior and reception area to the staff office and parent waiting room. The main boxing hall, home to three rings, became the centrepiece of the transformation, bringing together Dulux’s Colour of the Year with the club’s iconic colours.

The result is a brighter, more welcoming space for members, volunteers and visitors, giving the club a renewed sense of energy and pride as it continues its work in the community. Watch the transformation here.

The West Ham project also attracted some brilliant attention, with former world champion boxer George Groves joining the young people on site to get involved in the makeover and see first-hand the difference the project was making. The project and partnership were subsequently featured across Sky Sports News, TalkSPORT, BBC London Live, Fix Radio and Gateway 97.8 Radio.

But the impact went far beyond the paintwork.

Across the three projects, 39 young people aged 14–21 took part, with 87% of them achieving at least one City & Guilds Entry Level 3 accreditation in Painting & Decorating or Health & Safety. A total of 425 litres of paint was donated, helping to improve spaces that collectively impact around 1,200 people.

The young people involved also reported a positive impact on their confidence, wellbeing and future aspirations. 93% said they felt more confident about getting a job in the future, while 93% reported an increased feeling of happiness or wellbeing.

The work continued at Newcastle Deaf Centre, where key areas including the main room, reception and basement were refurbished to create a brighter, safer and more welcoming environment for staff, service users and visitors. More on this project here. 

At Café 50 in Pontyclun, a community hub welcoming more than 700 over-50s every month, young people helped deliver a full redecoration, creating a warmer and more inviting space for socialising, activities and support.

We’re proud to have worked with Dulux to bring Rhythm of Blues to communities across the country, creating lasting improvements to valued community spaces while supporting young people to build skills, confidence and accredited qualifications. Together, these experiences help equip young people with the tools they need to progress into positive education, employment and training outcomes.

VIY to deliver Youth Guarantee Trailblazer programme with Cambridgeshire & Peterborough Combined Authority

Delivered over the next 8 months, the programme will provide young people with the opportunity to gain hands-on construction skills, accredited qualifications, mentoring and real-life work experience while renovating valuable community spaces across the region.

This new local authority partnership builds on VIY’s success delivering the UK Government’s Youth Guarantee Trailblazer programme with 5 other local authority areas across Birmingham, Dudley, Liverpool, Walsall and South Bristol.

Across these programmes, more than 100 young people have already taken part,  with over 80% of them achieving City & Guilds accreditations while making a lasting difference to their local communities.

Along the way, many have gone on to take important next steps. Brandon, 21, who first joined VIY as a learner on our Trailblazer project at Hartcliffe City Farm in Bristol, is now employed by VIY as a Peer Mentor, supporting other young people on projects across the South West and Wales. Hear directly from Brandon about his experience with VIY and the Trailblazer programme here.

Meanwhile, Scott, who joined a Trailblazer project at the Joseph Lappin Centre in Liverpool after struggling to find work without experience, has continued volunteering at the centre and is now exploring opportunities to progress into paid employment.

You can explore more stories from our Youth Guarantee Trailblazer projects, meet the young people involved and see the impact being made across the country on our Youth Trailblazer programme page.

If you’re interested in collaborating with VIY on the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer programme across Cambridge and Peterborough – whether by referring young people, providing community project opportunities or supporting delivery – we’d love to hear from you. Get in touch with Alice, our Programme Manager in the East of England, at alice@teamviy.com.

VIY secures funding from York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority to deliver Community Retrofit programme

The funding forms part of more than £6.5 million awarded across York and North Yorkshire to support innovative projects reducing greenhouse gas emissions and helping the region move towards its ambition of becoming England’s first carbon negative region by 2040. The programme sits within the wider Carbon Negative Challenge Fund delivered by the York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, supported by David Skaith, Mayor of York and North Yorkshire.

Programme overview

The Community Retrofit Demonstrator projects will:

• Improve energy efficiency in community buildings through retrofit works
• Provide hands-on green skills training, mentoring and qualifications for young people
• Upskill local tradespeople in retrofit and sustainable construction
• Engage over 1,000 local residents through open days and workshops

First project completed in Scarborough

The first project has now been completed at Betton Farm, Scarborough where a workshop barn was upgraded with:

• Roof insulation improvements
• Thermal upgrades to reduce heat loss
• Internal refurbishment to improve functionality and comfort

Community open day

As part of the project, VIY also hosted its first community retrofit open day at Betton Farm, which welcomed 59 attendees, including industry guests, local residents and trade partners. Special guest Katy Robinson, UK’s Most Influential Woman in Construction (CITB), also attended, see what she had to say about her visit at Betton Farm here.

People took part in tours, discussions and a retrofit survey, with most saying they left feeling more informed about retrofit and its benefits. It was a really positive sign of growing interest and understanding around greener buildings.

Empowering young people with green skills and qualifications

We’ve had 20 young people take part in the first Retrofit Demonstrator project at Betton Farm, referred by North Yorkshire Council, Scarborough TEC, Supporting Choice and the Youth Justice Service.

They’ve been learning practical retrofit skills, including working with insulation, with most working towards City & Guilds and NOCN accreditations.

A core aim of the programme is to help young people build the skills they need as the UK moves towards a lower-carbon future.

Building on wider retrofit work

The North Yorkshire programme builds on VIY’s growing national portfolio of retrofit and regeneration projects, including previous work supported by initiatives such as the Hornsea 3 Community Fund in Norfolk, and community refurbishment projects across Bristol and the South West.

In Bristol, VIY has been supported by the Bristol City Leap Community Energy Fund, a partnership working to accelerate low-carbon infrastructure and help the city reach net zero. As part of this work, we’re developing multiple community retrofit projects with partners including Bristol Energy Network, the Centre for Sustainable Energy and the West of England Combined Authority.

Across all of this work, the focus stays the same: improving community spaces so they’re warmer, cheaper to run and better for the environment, while giving young people real, practical skills they can build a future on.

We’re excited to deliver this programme and build on the momentum already created. With more projects to come across North Yorkshire and beyond, there’s plenty more to look forward to.

➡️ If you’d like to find out more or talk about working with VIY on retrofit, get it touch with our Retrofit and Green Skills Director at tom@teamviy.com.

VIY partners with MVT to support grassroots music venues

We’re proud to be partnering with MVT to launch Stay The Night and Feel At Home, two programmes of capital improvements in grassroots music venues across the UK. Funded by the grassroots levy, a £1 contribution per ticket on shows over 5,000 capacity, distributed by the LIVE Trust, these programmes are about practical, on-the-ground improvements where they matter most.

• Stay The Night transforms underused venue space into artist accommodation, helping reduce touring costs and easing one of the biggest financial pressures facing live music today.
• Feel At Home upgrades backstage spaces so artists arrive somewhere that’s welcoming, functional, and ready to support them.

This isn’t just about improving buildings – it’s about improving the conditions artists work in, making touring healthier, fairer and more sustainable. At the same time, the projects support NEET and at-risk young people to learn hands-on trade skills and boost their employability skills.

These are not grant schemes and venues do not receive funding or manage construction. Instead, projects are fully delivered by MVT and VIY, removing barriers to participation and ensuring high-quality outcomes.

Bev Whitrick, COO at MVT says: “This partnership is about fixing real, structural problems in the grassroots touring ecosystem. We know that rising costs, particularly accommodation, are making touring increasingly difficult. Stay the Night addresses that directly, while Feel At Home ensures artists are properly supported when they arrive. At the same time, these projects create meaningful opportunities for young people to gain skills and experience. It’s practical, it’s immediate, and it delivers long-term impact for both venues and communities.”

First Completed Project: Voodoo Daddy’s, Norwich

Our first project is now complete at Voodoo Daddy’s in Norwich, where the grassroots venue has expanded into a newly acquired neighbouring building. The project has created dedicated, self-contained artist accommodation alongside upgraded backstage facilities, transforming previously unsuitable space into practical infrastructure for touring artists. This includes a living area in the new building, with six bunk beds, a shower room, a kitchenette and a functioning toilet.

Ben Street ,Voodoo Daddy’s Venue Manager says: “It’s been amazing to be involved with MVT’s Stay The Night initiative and see our green room transformed into an artist accommodation space. Working alongside the VIY team, the mentors and young people that have helped with the project has been a real pleasure and it feels good to know that they’ll be gaining valuable vocational experience and accreditation here too. The work has already had an impact by allowing us to book in a number of international acts who were struggling to make a show work in Norwich but were happy to confirm once they knew we could offer nice and convenient accommodation right by the venue!” 

Five further projects have now been approved across the North East, Yorkshire, the Midlands and South East London, with additional match funding identified to support delivery across England and Wales. The next phase of the programme will prioritise venues in Scotland and the South West of England.

We’re excited to continue working with MVT to deliver more projects that support grassroots venues, strengthen the touring ecosystem, and create meaningful opportunities for young people across the UK.

Marking our 200th project with Dulux

We’ve reached a significant milestone in our partnership with Dulux, celebrating the completion of our 200th project supported by the UK’s leading paint brand! For over four years, we’ve teamed up with Dulux, through their ‘Let’s Colour’ initiative, which brings communities together by transforming spaces with the power of paint. See our latest film celebrating what the partnership means to all of us.

The impact of our partnership has been extraordinary. Since July 2020, we’ve:

• transformed 200+ community spaces through the power of paint
• upskilled 3,000+ young people in construction skills including painting and decorating
• awarded 2,000+ Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations (over 50% in Painting & Decorating)
• positively impacted 120,000+ lives across the UK – the local community who use and interact with these vital community venues

This work is more important than ever, as the construction industry faces a skills shortage and an ageing workforce, with 225,000 new construction workers needed by 2027.

To mark this achievement, Dulux’s Senior Leadership Group rolled up their sleeves and joined us at Winchmore Hill Youth Football Club in Enfield, North London, in October. Together over three weeks, 16 local young people, our professional mentors and our partner volunteers from both Dulux and Barclays created safe changing rooms for their growing male and female teams in football and cricket and gave the club a fresh, vibrant look with paint generously donated by Dulux. This project was our latest project funded in partnership with the Barclays Community Football Fund, match-funded by Sport England.

See more of our partnership so far here

What’s next for our partnership?

Our partnership with Dulux continues to go from strength to strength, helping even more NEET and at risk young people to learn trade skills including decorating and transforming more community spaces year on year. We’re looking forward to welcoming more mentors from the trade and from AkzoNobel onto our projects, sharing skills, experience and opportunities with the next generation.

We’re also looking forward to growing the ‘Decorators of the Future’ programme – helping young people positively progress into the industry, through further training, work or apprenticeship opportunities, working with Dulux’s customers and contractors to do so.

This year, we’re going international, delivering our first project in the Republic of Ireland in November 2024 in partnership with Dulux Ireland, transforming a community venue right next to their HQ in Dublin, using Dulux’s Colour of the Year 2025, True Joy™ to instil creative energy, optimism and pride in this important space for the community.

Peter Howard, Sustainability and CSR Lead at AkzoNobel, expressed his pride in the partnership, highlighting how our efforts are helping to fill the skills gap in the construction industry: “Reaching our 200th community project is a shining example of how collaboration can harness the power of paint and bring colour into people’s lives. As we celebrate this milestone, we’re looking forward to the future. The launch of AkzoNobel’s ‘Volunteering Through Partnership’ initiative will bring even more opportunities to support communities and train young people in valuable trade skills. We look forward to many more colleagues and customers volunteering with VIY.”

Want to share your skills as a volunteer or mentor with us?

Boosting music and arts venues in York

Boosting grassroots music venues

We’ll be helping to boost community places and spaces hosting live music, arts and culture, whilst providing our free hands-on work experience opportunities for local young people.

Our first project in this new programme saw us help popular York music venue, The Fulford Arms, to become more accessible for gig-goers with mobility issues or physical disabilities, by creating a ramp at the entrance of the venue and building a sound booth to provide a safer experience for audiences and music tech teams.

This first project has been co-funded by Barclaycard as part of their ongoing involvement in the live music industry. This activity supporting grassroots music and arts venues sits alongside wider Barclays community activity, including our work with the Barclays Community Football Fund supporting local sports teams and clubs. Previous VIY projects supported by Barclaycard include Aaja Music in South London and Nottingham Arts Theatre.

The next four projects will follow in 2024.

Cllr Pete Kilbane, Deputy Leader of City of York Council and Executive Member for Economy and Transport, said:

“We’re very pleased to be working with Volunteer It Yourself and Barclaycard, both to improve our city’s much-loved entertainment venues like the Fulford Arms, and to enable the next generation of tradespeople to develop skills that will help them build rewarding careers.

“In our four-year council plan, One City for All, we committed to making York a fairer and more equal place for all. This project will ensure that gig-goers will have equal access to this venue, and that young people at risk of economic and social exclusion can obtain the skills and experience they need.

“There really is no substitute for on-site experience of the kind that this project offers, where young people can see first-hand the difference made by their hard work to their community, as well as to their own futures.”

Daniel Mathieson, Head of Sponsorship at Barclaycard, said:

“We are excited for this project to kick off and see the benefits the refurbishments will make to the local community and young people who are volunteering at The Fulford Arms.  We are working with VIY to support local young people gain skills and qualifications and help give them a headstart to their working life.”

Hear from the young people in The York Press here

See Fix Radio on site with us too!

About the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund 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

VIY launches new programme in Hull

Boosting pride in place

Our first project in Hull has seen us work in partnership with EMS, a local charity who work with the community to alleviate food and fuel poverty with sustainable solutions, and over 20 local young people to transform a disused allotment on the Orchard Park Estate into a community hub and growing garden for local residents and school students.

The land, now leased by Sirius Academy from the council, had no running water and had been affected by anti-social behaviour. Along with over 20 young people from the academy, all disengaged in mainstream education, we built a raincatcher on top of an existing shipping container to cultivate it into a garden to grow produce for local food parcels, along with protected seating for learners and fencing around the area and upcoming orchard to prevent unauthorised entry or vandalism.

Hear the impact of this project from local PCSO, Dawn

Hear how this project changed the lives of local young people

An additional classroom unit has been installed on the site, complete with seating and facilities for refreshments, which will be used by the school for extra learning space including classes related to outdoor learning with EMS.

23 students from Sirius Academy, all disengaged in mainstream education and at risk of unemployment, thrived getting hands-on work experience throughout this project right on their own doorstep – a space they’re now proud of and feel a sense of ownership over to grow and look after for the future.

The container was donated by the Hull Citywide Developer Partnership which includes Keepmoat and Strata Homes. They are supporting VIY’s projects in Hull, through co-funding, materials, donations and local colleagues volunteering their time. All paint will be provided by VIY Paint Partner, Dulux.

Our second VIY project has seen us create an outdoor learning and play area for children living in and supported by a local Women’s Centre, who provide a range of holistic services for women and children affected by domestic abuse.

Alex Codd, Assistant Director of Economic Development and Regeneration at Hull City Council and member of Hull’s UK Shared Prosperity Board said: “Hull City Council fully supports this project through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. It is great to see the funds being used to turn an underused area into a great outdoor facility where people are able to grow, enjoy fresh air, and get involved in their community. Our green spaces are critical assets in a densely populated city and this scheme is a great example of vacant space being used for the benefit of the local community.”

John Pickles, Community Growing Coordinator at EMS Ltd, who will support this new site, said: 

“VIY have brought in their skills and expertise in construction to help turn some of the wish-list proposals for this site into concrete reality. The key elements that they have built give the site a much greater chance of long-term sustainability.”

Mark Burley, Social Value and Partnership Manager for Keepmoat Homes and the Hull Citywide Developer Partnership said: “Whilst we do not have any new housing developments in Orchard Park it is important that we support projects like this in the city, we have been a long-standing partner with VIY and EMS whom have been working on this project. Improving mental wellbeing of young people via access to green health is so important and that is why we wanted to get involved.”

About the UK Shared Prosperity Fund

The UK Shared Prosperity Fund 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

VIY expands work across Norfolk tackling loneliness and isolation

We’re excited to be working with Norfolk Community Foundation through the UK Government Know Your Neighbourhood Fund to renovate six community spaces over the next 18 months in Great Yarmouth, all with the aim of increasing volunteering and tackling isolation in the community.

Since 2022, thanks to support from the likes of UK Community Renewal Fund, Orbit Housing and Norwich Community Infrastructure Levy (NCIL), we have refurbished 29 community spaces in Norfolk, including grassroots sports clubs like Norwich Lads Boxing Club, creating a growing garden space in Holt Youth Project and transforming the newly reopened Gorleston Community Hub. In total we’ve enabled over 250 volunteering experiences for young people in the county.

Our first project in partnership with Norfolk Community Foundation has seen us work with the Norfolk and Suffolk Islamic Mission, a local charity based at the Masjid-At Tauweed on Northgate Street – the first mosque built in Great Yarmouth and the surrounding areas over 20 years ago. We’ve modernised the kitchen area and redecorated rooms in their community space, to make it a more welcoming space for those coming to pray, to be with others and take part in community activities.

Working through the People From Abroad team through Norfolk County Council, 29 young people built their skills, confidence and a brighter future by volunteering on this project, as they settle into life with refugee status in the UK. In total, over 80 young people supported by this team have volunteered across four other VIY projects in the local area, including at New Routes Integration, a centre which supports refugees with housing, employability and social integration, and Norfolk Community Arts – a space for people from all backgrounds including those with disabilities to be involved in music.

We’re looking forward to five more projects in Great Yarmouth – with the next to come early in the new year.

VIY Mentor Dom guides young learners at our project with Norfolk & Suffolk Islamic Mission

CEO shortlisted for Special Recognition

Our co-founder and CEO, Tim Reading, has been shortlisted as a finalist in the Special Recognition category at this year’s On The Tools awards.

The awards, hosted by On The Tools – the UK’s largest online construction based community, celebrate the best of UK construction – across a range of trade categories and awards including Community Hero and Training Excellence, culminating in the Tradesperson of the Year award. See the winners of the 2022 awards here.

The Special Recognition category celebrates those who dedicate extra commitment to raising the profile of the trade, across themes like skills, mental health and social media.

Here’s what the nomination means to Tim in his own words:

“Having co-founded and led VIY since its creation as a Community Interest Company in 2015, I’ve seen VIY grow from a first single project in south London to now having helped more than 14,000 young people to learn vocational trade skills whilst renovating over 800 local community places UK-wide, such as youth clubs, community centres, village halls, grassroots sports clubs and public green spaces. I’ve also been lucky enough to share that journey with my fellow co-founder, and now VIY COO, Ed Sellwood.

The young people who take part in VIY projects, all of whom are typically not in employment, education or training or at risk of disengagement, are mentored by experienced tradespeople, just like the thousands who are part of the wonderful On The Tools community. I’ve always felt that these mentors are the rocket fuel behind the VIY model, taking time to work alongside young people and share their skills and experience and inspiring them to consider construction as a rewarding and accessible career pathway.

We’ve grown appreciably since starting out, thanks to a multitude of cross-sector partners and funders, including local authorities, construction companies, homebuilders, sport governing bodies and brands that serve tradespeople everyday like Dulux , Toolstation and Travis Perkins. But it still feels like we’ve only just started and we’re determined to expand our offer to reach and benefit more places and people in need over the coming years.

In the meantime, to be shortlisted alongside other brilliant people creating change in the industry, as well as all the wonderful tradespeople recognised in other categories, is very humbling indeed.”

We’ll be rooting for you on the night, Tim!

VIY’s Gemma tells us what Pride means to her

What does Pride mean to you?

Pride is a time to remember our individual journey. I went to high school under section 28, the law that forbade any “promotion of homosexuality in schools” which meant there was no support for students and bullying was rife. I came out in the year 2000, the summer I left high school and though my family embraced me with open arms, society wasn’t always as accepting.

I remember when I qualified as a teacher in 2010, not being able to be fully open about my sexuality and struggling to find a school which would accept me for what I was. I used to hide myself behind a fake shield of heteronormativity in the professional sphere – despite being out, proud and accepted at home. It made me feel like I could never be myself.

In the 23 years since I have been openly out, further progress towards equality has been made, for example we can marry, we can adopt. But we are aware that these changes have only occurred because of the social action and protesting of the LGBTQ+ individuals that came before us.

Pride to an out LGBTQ+ person represents our time to reflect, to protest, to party and to remember not only the individual journey and collective advances towards acceptance that we have made, but the road where challenges and threats still lay ahead and the work yet to do.

It may seem like a massive party but what the LGBTQ+ community knows is that years of repression can only be counteracted by a large collective outpouring of self expression and freedom.

This is what makes the essence of Pride.

What does Pride mean to you and your life in Manchester as a member of the LGBTQ+ community?

Supporting the wider community is a duty to all LBGTQ+ individuals. Throughout history when people are under threat they come together and support each other from within. It’s something the LGBTQ+ community does naturally, especially in the years since the Aids/HIV crisis in the 80s. The community has faced years of attack, oppression, isolation, fear and death and has largely been left to look after itself. It’s the same now with transgender people particularly under threat and trans youth largely unsupported.

This year the loss of trans teenager Brianna Ghey shook the community further. I was proud to be a part of the community involved in planning the Manchester vigil, which saw over 2,000 people pack into Sackville Gardens in Manchester to remember her and the work we have to do to avoid this happening to young people in the future. There I spoke with parents and teenagers, who were scared for their future. This fear only highlights the inequalities still faced by many LGBTQ+ individuals.

Being a DJ is usually being the focus point for fun, bringing the party. At Pride – we do both. I am not just an agent of fun and freedom to provide dancing and laughter, but being recognisable within the community means I have a social responsibility to support others within that community.

In 2017 I won Village’s Got Talent, which was a fundraiser for the George House Trust. The prize was £500, I donated 50% of it straight back to the charity on stage. As a DJ I have worked fundraisers for: AXM Charity, George House Trust, Terrance Higgins Trust, Stonewall, The Proud Trust, and with the Village Business Owners association also fundraised over £5000 to provide safer sexual health packs in all LGBTQ+ venues.

I’ve even DJ’d a silent disco which raised money for the Russian LGBT foundation at a time when Russian LGBTQ+ people in Chechnya were being murdered and the officials said that “gay people didn’t exist there”, hence we chose a silent disco for a silent protest as LGBTQ+ Russians were being silenced!

It was a pleasure to perform alongside MIRI on the main stage at Manchester pride in 2018, as her guitarist. We performed a re-written version of the Cyndi Lauper hit – “Girls just wanna have fundamental rights.” Pride and protest go hand in hand.

Though Pride starts in June, each city has its own celebration. In Manchester where I live, Pride takes over the August bank holiday weekend. It starts on Friday and day one consists of protests, to alert us to the journey and issues of the future.

On Saturdays we have the Pride march, which is a celebration of solidarity from organisations/workplaces/community groups and a celebration of support in the present. Sunday is largely handed over to more family friendly acts, youth pride and helps us give support to the LGBTQ+ youth of the future.

Then on Monday there is the candlelit vigil, where we gather around the Alan Turing statue in the park next to Canal St, to remember those we have lost over the last year, to either discrimination, to HIV, and cherished members of our Gay Village community, our allies and our pioneers.

As they say in the film Hairspray – “I know where I am going, I know where I’ve been.” This is why we bathe ourselves in glitter, wear rainbows, drink (more than we probably should) and march in protest and solidarity.

Each one of us has a social duty to now do our part, remember those who came before us and knowing that only through visible action can we create visible change and a safer world for the LGBTQ+ people of the future.

Gem x

Visit Stonewall’s website for further information and guidance on supporting the LGBTQ+ community, particularly in the workplace, as well as their useful glossary of inclusive language terms.

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