Debdale Park is a vibrant mini sports village at the heart of Mansfield Woodhouse, offering a welcoming space for football, rugby, and cricket enthusiasts of all ages and genders. Beyond sport, Debdale Park serves as a hub for community events, festivals, and celebrations – a true cornerstone where residents come together to connect, stay active, and celebrate local pride.
But in recent years, the site had begun to look tired and in need of investment. Outdated facilities and worn exteriors risked putting off new users, despite their huge potential as central hubs for the community.
The project:
With funding from Mansfield District Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, VIY worked alongside local young people to deliver a major refurbishment.
- The entire exterior of the building was repainted, giving it a fresh and vibrant new look.
- A professional artist worked with young volunteers to design and create a striking mural. The artwork celebrates the area’s proud mining heritage while also showcasing the three core sports at the park – football, cricket and rugby.
- Inside, the female changing rooms were fully renovated. Once outdated and neglected, they’ve been transformed into a safe, modern, and welcoming space for women and girls.
- Overall, the upgrades enhance visitor experience, boost engagement, and inspire more people to get active at the village.
The young people:
- 27 young people took part in the Debdale Park project, referred by Dawn House School, Vision West Notts College, and the venue itself.
- Their backgrounds included:
- 7% not in education, employment or training (NEET)
- 60% at risk of becoming NEET
- 33% in education, employment or training (EET)
- 30% with a physical disability, learning difficulty and/or mental health condition
- 25 learners achieved a City & Guilds Introducing Paint Finishing Skills accreditation.
Progressions included:
- 2 indirect employment progressions into roles as a Site Worker and a Floor Joiner
- 1 direct employment progression into a Painting & Decorating Apprenticeship with the Bell Group – Cameron, 18, joined Debdale Park Sports Club with initial doubts about his engagement, but quickly proved himself with dedication and hard work. With support from the VIY youth engagement and progressions team, Cameron secured a Painting & Decorating apprenticeship with Bell – one of the largest Property Services contractors in the UK. This opportunity was made possible through a brilliant new partnership between VIY and Bell, supported by Dulux Decorator Centre, to help learners move into positive next steps in the construction industry.
The impact (3 Months Post-Project Survey)
- The works have led to more females participating at the club since completion.
- The refreshed site has increased youth engagement.
- The improvements encourage different groups of people to use the space more often.
- Local people now feel more connected to their community as a result of the upgrades.
- The breadth of income streams has increased significantly.
- Confidence in financial resilience has increased significantly.
- Confidence in the future sustainability of the sports village has increased significantly.
Evington Youth Club, based in Leicester, is a much-loved hub for young people, many from the local Muslim community. The club provides a safe, welcoming space for young people to socialise, play sports like football and badminton, try creative activities, and simply be themselves.
The project
The VIY project delivered a major transformation of the youth club, restoring pride in a building that was in serious need of TLC. Works included:
- Repairing rotting fascias and repainting the exterion
- Full internal redecoration throughout
- Renovation of the sports hall, entrance and snooker room
- Installation of new panelling and refreshed finishes in key spaces
- Bespoke artwork created by local artist Nick Blaney
See behind the scenes here.
Impact
The transformation has given Evington Youth Club a vibrant new look inside and out, creating a more welcoming and inspiring environment for young people and community groups. The refreshed space will encourage greater participation, restore community pride, and ensure the club can continue supporting local young people for years to come.
13 volunteers from the local community supported the project, contributing their time and skills to help bring the refurbishment to life.
Young people
33 young people took part in the VIY experience at Evington Youth Club. Referrals came from Connexions Leicester, Construction Hub, Job Centre Leicester, Turning Point Leicester and independent referrals.
- 55% of yon people were NEET, 24% were EET at risk and 21% were EET not at risk. Many faced additional risk-of-NEET factors including Free School Meals, experience of custody and EHCPs.
- 79% identified as non-White British.
- 43% of learners had a physical disability, learning difficulty or mental health condition.
Accreditations
31 Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations were achieved in Introducing Paint Finishing Skills
Progressions
VIY continues to track young people’s progression over a 12-month period. To date, positive next steps include:
-
7 x education progressions, including Construction Multiskills with Trans4m Training, Sport Science at Leicester College and Patisserie & Confectionery Skills at Leicester College
-
1 x employment progression with Bleckmann Logistics
- 80% of learners felt more confident in four or more soft skills
- 93% felt their hopes and aspirations had increased
- 100% felt more confident about getting a job in the future
- 97% were more aware of opportunities in the construction industry
- 80% reported improved happiness and wellbeing
- 73% felt their physical health had improved
- 97% would recommend VIY to others
- 100% said taking part was a positive experience
After helping to develop the original Flo Skatepark over in Nottingham back in 2021 (see how we did this here) and Kaset Skatepark over in King’s Lynn too, we went on to support Flo Skatepark in establishing its new home in Derby, after the Nottingham site was being forced to close to make way for a bridge development.
The project has been a real collaboration across the community delivering true social value. Working in partnership with Derby City Council and Places for People, and alongside a wide network of local businesses and national construction partners, VIY played a key role in helping bring the new site to life.
This included partners such as Acorn Signs & Engraving, Balfour Beatty, Barrett Group, Collins Earthworks, Dulux, Falcon Timber, Galldris Group, Juice Electrical, Keltbray, Lyreco, MKM, Sunbelt Rentals, Tarmac, Tarkett and Travis Perkins, who supported the delivery through materials, and their time and expertise.
The new Flo Skatepark in Derby was developed as a high-quality indoor skateboarding destination. It provides a safe, inclusive space for people of all ages and abilities to learn, practise and progress year-round and it will have a lasting positive impact on skateboarding locally and regionally. It also creates opportunities for coaching, events and competitions, while supporting active lifestyles and reinforcing Derby’s commitment to inclusive, youth-focused spaces that deliver wider community benefit.
The Project
VIY supported Flo Skatepark through the hands-on construction of the skatepark itself – including building the street plaza, beginners zone, as well as a large-scale refurbishment of four existing units that were in disrepair. These were transformed into kitchen space, reception, viewing zones, and other multi-use functional areas – including a hireable indoor classroom and spaces for community and commercial use – helping to support the long-term sustainability of the park.
The works involved stripping out existing fittings and fixtures and transforming the units into new, functional spaces aligned with Flo’s vision of safe, accessible community use. Reclaimed materials from the original Flo Skatepark in Nottingham were reused where possible, including timber from ramps and steel from rails. This reduced waste, supported cost efficiency, and helped carry the character and history of the original park into the new space.
Young people
- 43 local young people took part through VIY (referred via Derby College, Derby Youth Justice Service, Derby Job Centre, Derby Skills Academy, and Step Up Derby), gaining hands-on experience and being mentored by VIY Trade Mentors while directly helping to build the skatepark.
- 86% of young people gained Entry Level 3 City & Guilds qualifications, and built confidence through real-world project delivery. This is already supporting progression into further training, apprenticeships and employment pathways
100% of learners felt more confident about getting a job in the future as a result of the skills gained through their involvement in building the skatepark as part of the VIY project.
A young person said: “I’ve really enjoyed working on building the new skate park and learning new skills from the mentors. It’s definitely helped me develop my joinery skills, and I know it will support me when making decisions about my future career.”
🎥See behind the scenes of this project here.
In 2021, Skateboarding Team GB made their debut in Tokyo, the first Olympics to feature skateboarding as a sport in the Games. In August of the same year, we worked on a refurbishment project at Flo Skatepark in Nottingham, identified by VIY in partnership with Skateboard GB, our second project together following a successful refurbishment at LS-Ten Skatepark in Leeds. Both were exciting opportunities to improve the quality and accessibility of skateboarding in the area, as part of their strategy to create skateboarding ‘hubs’ across the UK to inspire new young talent.
We worked together with specialist skatepark builder 414 Skateparks to design and carry out the extensive works to the indoor skatepark, supported by Persimmon Homes, Travis Perkins Nottingham, GAP Tool Hire and Sport England too.
Professional tradespeople from the area, led by VIY’s Lead Mentors, supported 30 young volunteers aged 14-24 (many of whom are not in education, employment or training) to take an active role in the renovation of the park’s indoor ramp area.
The project has helped them to develop new employability skills and work towards Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations in practical trades such as joinery.
As part of their learning, we also ran a carpentry workshop for our young people. Generous donations of timber were given by Travis Perkins Nottingham to renovate and ‘ramp up’ the training spaces at the skatepark, whilst also using 25% reclaimed timber from the previous site. Assistant Branch Manager Arron Martin was incredibly supportive and visited the students during their carpentry workshop.
We worked in partnership with Persimmon Homes on this project, their support including match funding, staff volunteers lending a hand on site, supporting qualifications for young people and offering participants pathways into the trade sector.
Contracts Manager for Persimmon Homes, Zenon Pointon, volunteered as a Mentor on the project and told us: “It was a pleasure to give my time and guidance to the enthusiastic team of volunteers. It was a fulfilling project to be part of and we hope it has inspired more young people pursue a career in construction, in particular joinery.”
Upon completion, young skater Miriam Nelson, 13, a Skateboard GB hopeful, was one of the first to try out the new ramps, and she said:
“The renovation of Flo and all the hard work that has gone into it is amazing. It was good before but now it’s just even better than ever for all skaters.”
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