Porlock Community Gardens
20 August 2025
• A Community Area — for people to relax, meet, and socialise.
• A Growing Space — for community gardening, growing produce, learning about gardening.
• A Service User Area — to provide safe, supportive surroundings for people (for example therapy / eco-conscious activity) to build confidence.
Project contact: matt@teamviy.com
Restocked CIC, Kingston House
12 September 2025
The CIC will also deliver classes for local young people who want to learn upholstery skills.
Jarrow Hall
20 August 2025
Project contact: matt@teamviy.com
Shoe-Box Boxing Gym
15 September 2025
Project contact: charlie@teamviy.com.
Transition and Leaving Care Hub (TLC)- Walsall
6 October 2025
The Transition and Leaving Care Hub (TLC) is a vital space where personal advisers provide advice and support for care leavers. The hub also acts as a community meeting point, hosting social drop-ins, Care Leaver Group meetings, football training, and celebrating events. The hub’s outdoor garden, however, had fallen into disuse due to health and safety concerns, limiting access for both young people and staff.
The project, funded through the Youth Guarantee Trailblazer, a major government-funded initiative, has seen the garden completely refurbished to provide an accessible, safe, and welcoming outdoor space. The project also gave care-experienced young people the chance to take an active role in transforming a space they use and benefit from, helping them gain hands-on skills, confidence, and real-life work experience. The revamped area will allow children to play safely, host outdoor classes, and give care leavers a space to socialise and connect with the community.
The Project:
The project involved a full transformation of the TLC garden to create a functional, accessible, and inclusive outdoor space. Works include:
- Removing the existing bench area and installing a new seated area
- Re-bedding curbstones, making good and securing with postcrete
- Installing new picnic benches
- Adding anti-slip decking to improve accessibility for wheelchair users
- Removing old sleepers and replacing them with durable, safe alternatives
The young people:
- 11 local care experienced young people from TLC Hub and other local NEET/at risk young people took part in the VIY experience
- 100% reported improvements in hopes, aspirations, job confidence, physical health, wellbeing, and happiness
“I’m 19 and currently unemployed but looking for work and have used the Hub for a long time. I have learnt a lot while on the project including; angling cuts, PPE and building structures like benches, planters and ramps. The best part has been meeting new people and making new friends as well as learning new skills. Makes you want to get up in the morning and 100% recommend it to others.” – Jaiden, a VIY Learner and regular user of the TLC Hub
Accreditations gained:
- Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditations achieved
- Site Carpentry and Health & Safety in Places of Work
Alex, a care-experienced young person from the TLC Hub, had been out of education for several years and was initially reluctant to engage with opportunities.
At the start of the project, Alex was nervous and initially refused to enter the building without familiar staff. Despite this, he quickly built positive relationships with the VIY team and other participants.
Over the two-week project, Alex:
- Stayed fully engaged, often arriving early and leaving last
- Formed positive new relationships with other young people
- Discovered a talent for carpentry, sparking interest in longer-term training and career options
Where traditional education had struggled, VIY succeeded in capturing Alex’s interest and motivation. His placement support staff have also noticed improvements in his wellbeing, including better sleep, reduced dysregulation at home, and a healthier daily routine.
Darlaston Youth Centre
16 June 2025
Project contact: jordan@teamviy.com
Garon Park Youth Club
17 December 2024
Project Manager Contact: graham@teamviy.com
In phase 1, VIY helped redecorate parts of this well-loved youth club to enhance its environment for local young people.
In autumn 2025, we will now be reconfiguring their current kitchen, creating more storage in the kitchen and decorating the exterior of the building.
Gotham Scouts Hut
16 June 2025
Gotham Scouts Hut is set for a complete transformation, inside and out, creating a safer, more welcoming, and inspiring space for local young people.
Outside, we’ll create a purpose-built fire pit zone with surrounding seating for fire safety and social sessions, repaint and treat the entrance gate, replace broken fence panels, and refresh others with a fresh coat of paint. Overgrown weeds and shrubs will be cut back, opening up the space for everyone to enjoy.
Inside, we’ll tackle a full-scale redecoration. The current mix of multi-coloured walls will be replaced with a bold, cohesive community Scouts theme. Ceiling wooden beams will be painted or treated for a striking finish. The toilet doorway will be widened to allow wheelchair access, and both the kitchen and toilet areas will be repainted. Steps to the storage area and railings will be freshened up, and if time allows, we’ll add new wall storage units or shelves in the kitchen. A brand-new storage cupboard under the stairs will be built to keep the space organised and safe.
This project will breathe new life into a much-loved community hub, turning it into a vibrant, accessible, and engaging space for generations of young people to enjoy and take pride in.
Project contact: Charlie@teamviy.com
Gallows Close Centre
20 August 2025
Refitting new portable classroom with training wall and bench seating
Project contact: matt@teamviy.com
Gateshead Youth Council
1 August 2025
VIY will be transforming the underused outdoor space into a vibrant garden area, featuring raised planters and a covered seating area. This will create a welcoming environment for local groups to engage in outdoor activities, making much better use of the space and supporting community wellbeing.
Project Contact: matt@teamviy.com
