Purple House Women’s Centre

Pye Bank School

Q3 Academy

Queen’s Crescent Community Association

Queen’s Walk Community Centre

We are painting & decorating to revamp this vital community centre in Nottingham, in partnership with Nottingham City Council, through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Please contact georgie@teamviy.com if you’d like to talk about opportunities for young people, or the chance to become a Community Volunteer on this project.

Rae’s Field

Rae’s Field began as a disused barn and green space within the Horsell Common estate. The barn was weathered and minimally maintained, with rotting wood and no insulation, while the surrounding outdoor area was overgrown and unsuitable for use. Thanks to a collaborative effort between local partners, funders, young people and team VIY, the area has undergone a complete transformation. The new space will now being used as a community hub by a range of local groups for activities that support wellbeing, learning, and social connection – from community gardening and peer-to-peer support, to environmental education and informal meetups. Surrey County Council and Surrey Careers Hub helped to fund the project and referred most of the learners to the project from local alternative provisions. Horsell Common Preservation Society provided the land and barn and will offer ongoing maintenance of the space.

The project:

The project involved a full renovation of the barn and landscaping of the adjacent green space to create a flexible, accessible venue for community use. Works included:

• Full insulation of the barn using Celotex/Kingspan
• OSB boarding of walls and ceiling for a clean, practical finish
• Insulation of large double entrance doors
• Installation of two new UPVC windows for natural light and ventilation
• Removal of old, dilapidated wooden windows
• Interior and exterior painting, with the help of 10 fantastic Dulux volunteers
• Installation of new guttering and downpipes
• Construction of a firepit and outdoor seating area, using reclaimed wood from the site

The young people: 

18 local young volunteers joined the project from several Surrey Alternative Provisions and PRUs.  This was a collaboration between Surrey Careers Hub and Vulnerable Learners Transitions team at Surrey County Council.  There were also 3 independent young person referrals from the local area. The project provided meaningful, engaging work experience for the young people; supporting them to develop essential workplace skills and behaviours.

• 85% of learners felt more confident in 4 or more out of 8 soft skills, including listening, teamwork, problem solving
• 100% of learners felt their hopes and aspirations had increased due to VIY
• 100% of learners felt more confident about getting a job in the future as a result of the skills gained during the VIY project
• 62% of learners would consider a job or career in the building or construction industry due to VIY
• 77% of learners felt their overall feeling of physical health had improved due to volunteering with VIY 
• 100% of learners would recommend taking part in a VIY project to others

Accreditations gained:

15 City & Guilds accreditations gained in Health & Safety in Places of Work

13 adults also volunteered on this project, including 10 partner employees from our partners at Dulux and their HQ in Slough nearby, as well as 3 volunteers from the local community.

Ravenshall School

Rawlett School

Rayner Stephens High School

Reach Academy

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