Cwmbran Youth Centre

Deane & Derby Cricket Club

Debdale Park Mansfield

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 Outdated facilities and worn exteriors risked putting off new users, despite their huge potential as central hubs for the community.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 Once outdated and neglected, they’ve been transformed into a safe, modern, and welcoming space for women and girls.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.

De Lacy Academy

Denton St Lawrence Cricket Club

Deptford Cinema

DIY Space for London

DIY Space for London (DSFL) is a volunteer-run community live music and arts space that offers activities and events to communities who may not otherwise have access to similar spaces. It is also a Music Venue Trust (MVT) member.

The venue is well used and highly valued by local young people especially, but the washrooms/toilets, bar area and outside space had all become rundown and in need of urgent improvement. DSFL therefore approached VIY for help through our partnership with the GLA’s Good Growth Fund.

Over four weeks, a VIY team of four skills mentors and 23 young volunteers completed the following work: the full strip-out and refurbishment of the washrooms, including building new cubicles and installing new toilets and sinks, refurbishing/redecorating the bar area, and transforming the outdoor space with new benches and planters. 18 of the participants were referred by The Amber Foundation, an organisation that supports unemployed young people at risk of homelessness, and five were construction students from London South East Colleges wanting to gain community-based work experience. Four of The Amber Foundation learners were also taking part in their second VIY project and looking to gain additional accreditations in different trade skills.

By the end of the project, 20 of the young participants had successfully achieved a City & Guilds Entry Level accreditation in carpentry, plumbing/pipework, tiling and/or health and safety. Also, the mentoring team included 21-year old Umar Mansaray, originally from Sierra Leone and a brilliant past volunteer on five previous VIY projects, who was stepping up for the first time to serve as a formal Peer Mentor for new participants.

Don Valley Academy

See what happened when we created a memorial garden for the students of Don Valley School, with the help of 15 of their very own students learning carpentry and joinery as they go, and earning an Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditation. All part of our VIY Mentoring Programme, supported by the Careers & Enterprise Company working with 100 secondary schools across England since 2017.

Just one of Guy Martin’s mini-series on Channel 4, Building Britain, travelling to four VIY projects across the country to meet the young people we mentor in trade skills whilst renovating community spaces.

Dorking Community Hospital Garden

Dormston School

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