What does this community space/venue do?
Rainworth Miners Welfare FC is a long-established community football club based in Rainworth, a former Nottinghamshire mining village on the edge of Mansfield. Originally founded in 1922 as Rufford Colliery FC, the club continues to play an important role in local life following the decline of the coal industry. Known as “The Wrens,” the club serves the wider community by providing football, recreation, and social opportunities for hundreds of local people each week through more than 20 youth and men’s teams. As one of the village’s key community hubs, the club supports young people’s development, health, and inclusion while helping maintain local pride and connection.
What is VIY doing?
VIY will be undertaking multiple lighting upgrades, replacing over 20 outdated light fittings that are currently costing the club unnecessary expense. These will all be upgraded to new energy-efficient LED lighting, improving the overall energy efficiency of the building and helping to reduce running costs for the club. In addition, VIY will carry out the full renovation of one hospitality box that has fallen into disrepair, replacing rotten external timber with new cladding and refurbishing the internal space. There will also be extensive external painting and decorating works across the site, with the clubhouse repainted in the club’s colours to create a bold, standout appearance and renewed sense of pride.
What will be the impact of our project?
The benefits of these works are both practical and community-focused.
Upgrading over 20 outdated light fittings to LED will significantly improve the building’s energy efficiency, reducing electricity consumption and lowering ongoing running costs for the club. This frees up valuable funds that can instead be reinvested into football provision, facilities, and wider community activity.
The renovation of the hospitality box will restore a previously deteriorating space into a usable, welcoming facility once again. This improves both functionality and the overall matchday experience for visitors, sponsors, and community users.
Externally, repainting the clubhouse in the club’s colours and completing wider decoration works will greatly enhance the site’s appearance. A more vibrant and well-maintained facility helps build pride among members, players, and supporters, while also creating a stronger identity for the club within the local area.
Overall, these improvements contribute to a more efficient, attractive, and welcoming environment—strengthening the club’s role as a community hub and helping it continue to serve local people for years to come.
Project contact: charlie@teamviy.com.
What does this community space/venue do?
The Bentinck Miners Welfare in Kirkby-in-Ashfield is a long-standing community hub and registered charity, originally established to serve local mining families. Today it provides a wide range of social, leisure, and recreational opportunities for the community, including live entertainment, bingo and pool nights, children’s play areas, sports facilities, and function rooms for events. With its family-friendly atmosphere and mix of activities, it plays a vital role in keeping local people connected, offering a welcoming space for all ages to meet, take part in events, and celebrate the area’s mining heritage.
What is VIY doing?
VIY will be delivering a large-scale outdoor project, constructing a raised timber music stage complete with a roof, decked flooring, and cladded back and side walls. As part of the works, existing benches will be repurposed into new seating, and damaged wooden play equipment will be repaired and upgraded. These improvements will allow the play area—currently closed due to safety concerns from broken and loose timber—to be safely reopened for children. All timber play equipment will also be repainted to give it a fresh, revitalised finish.
Inside, the lounge area at the Bentinck is dated, with 1980s-style floral carpeting, old décor, and worn wallpaper and bar fittings. VIY will fully transform this space by installing tongue-and-groove panelling, new bar worktops, and a refreshed colour scheme to create a modern, updated look. New flooring will also be installed to complete the renovation.
In the final week, if time allows, work will extend to the toilets, which are similarly outdated and in poor decorative condition. These will be upgraded to align with the modern, refreshed style introduced throughout the rest of the Bentinck.
What will be the impact of our project?
What does this community space/venue do?
2Funky Music Café is a dynamic, multi-space entertainment venue that caters to a wide range of live music, nightlife, and private events. At its core is the main two-floor live music venue, hosting gigs and artist performances, complemented by several versatile spaces including The Lobby for student nights and private parties, a vibrant Garden area for DJ sets and social events, and a Roof Terrace with an adjoining function room available for hire. The venue also features a dedicated 300-capacity club space for larger music events, alongside additional outdoor terrace areas overlooking the nearby university. Together, these spaces create a flexible and lively destination that supports everything from grassroots music and club nights to private functions and community events.
What is VIY doing?
VIY will deliver a comprehensive renovation of the venue’s backstage areas, including the green room, toilet facilities and main corridor. Works will involve the installation of new panelling and skirting, along with a full redecoration to significantly improve the overall look and feel of the space.
The main backstage entrance, used by artists, will also be fully upgraded. This will include the construction of a timber shelter over the steps, the addition of new planters, and wider improvements to create a more welcoming and professional arrival point.
In addition, an unused downstairs storage area will be transformed into a new social space/green room for artists, ensuring the backstage provision is both functional and fit for purpose. Overall, this represents a complete transformation of the backstage environment.
What will be the impact of our project?
This project will significantly improve the venue’s ability to attract and retain artists, supporting increased bookings and long-term income generation. By upgrading the backstage areas, the venue will offer a more professional, comfortable and welcoming environment, helping to meet artist expectations and encourage repeat use.
A key improvement is the creation of an additional downstairs green room/social space. The existing upstairs backstage area can only accommodate 2–3 people at most, limiting the venue’s capacity. The new space will allow more artists to be supported at once, making the venue more suitable for larger acts and busy event schedules.
Overall, these improvements will enhance the artist experience, strengthen the venue’s reputation, and directly support its ability to generate more income.
Project contact: charlie@teamviy.com.
Project contact: charlie@teamviy.com.
Mansfield Wildlife Rescue is a registered charity dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and caring for injured, abandoned and orphaned native wildlife across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire.
The organisation supports a wide range of animals including badgers, foxes, hedgehogs, birds of prey and swallows, with the aim of returning them safely back into their natural habitats wherever possible. As a largely volunteer-led and self-funded charity, Mansfield Wildlife Rescue provides essential veterinary care, feeding and sheltered recovery for wildlife in need, while also supporting community education and engagement around conservation and animal welfare.
With support from Mansfield District Council via the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), a previously unused woodland area on site has now been transformed into an engaging outdoor play and exploration space for children.
The project:
At Mansfield Wildlife Rescue, VIY delivered a series of outdoor improvements to create a fun, nature-based play environment that encourages exploration, creativity and active play.
Key works included:
- Construction of a large timber teepee play structure
- Creation of a castle-themed adventure play area
- Installation of A-frame climbing structures and balance beams
- Development of a fire pit and gathering space
- Repurposing an old wooden wheel found on site into a unique slide with steps, giving new life to existing materials while celebrating the site’s history
- Entrance improvements with new sleeper edging to replace a muddy and uneven pathway with a safer, more welcoming access route
All timber features were built for long-term use and treated with Dulux exterior stains and preservatives to help protect them from the weather and ensure the space can be enjoyed for years to come.
Overall, these improvements have transformed an unused woodland area into a creative and welcoming outdoor environment for visiting children and families.
The young people:
15 young people took part in the project at Mansfield, referred by Inspire Culture, Mansfield Jobcentre Plus, Pollyteach Mansfield and Vision West Notts College
- 13.5% of learners were NEET , 73% were EET at Risk , 13.5% EET not at risk
- 47% of learners had a physical disability, learning difficulty/disability or mental health condition
14 Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations were achieved;
4 x Introducing Paint Finishing Skills, 6 x Introducing Site Carpentry Skills, 4 x Health & Safety in Places of Work
Community impact:
The venue has since shared a video of the space in use and some lovely feedback – and it’s really special seeing children experience it for the first time. Watch it here.
Project contact: charlie@teamviy.com.
Project contact: charlie@teamviy.com
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