Screwfix Foundation
Working together to improve, repair and maintain homes and community spaces for those in need.
We’re proud to be making a difference by partnering with the Screwfix Foundation, who are committed to improving, repairing and maintaining homes and community facilities used by those in need throughout the UK. Together, we’ve completed 4 renovation projects so far, from supported housing in East London to creative hubs and food banks in Stockport and Nottingham. We’re now heading into our second year of partnership, with 4 more projects to come in 2025/26 – this time UK-wide. We’ll supporting even more local young people to take part in the VIY experience, gaining valuable hands-on experience in various trades, City & Guilds accreditations, and potential pathways into the industry.
1. Outreach Homes, Dagenham
This five-bedroom supported housing property in Dagenham provides a vital stepping stone for vulnerable young people aged 16–24 as they transition into independent living. With help from 17 young people and over 20 Screwfix volunteers, key communal spaces including the lounge, kitchen, hallways and bedrooms were redecorated and re-floored to create a more welcoming, homely environment. We also built an outdoor social space complete with decking, a sheltered picnic area and a herb garden, helping to turn the property into a place the residents can be proud to call home, while supporting the young volunteers to gain City & Guilds accreditations in Carpentry and Painting & Decorating.
“Brilliant experience with really helpful staff and volunteers, who put so much effort and time into ensuring the project was a success. The renovations have and will continue to have such a positive impact on the young people at our venue. Our venue is now vibrant and provided a warm, welcoming, environment for the young people who reside. Each room is personalised for each young person and the outside space is perfect for socialising.”
Outreach Homes
2. St Ann’s Food Bank, Nottingham
This busy food bank serves people in crisis across the St Ann’s and Sneinton areas of Nottingham, but its customer-facing areas had become worn, impractical and unsafe. With the help of 13 young people, 20 Screwfix volunteers, and superstar trade mentor Will (see him in action here), we brought the space back to life. We upgraded outdated lighting to energy-efficient LEDs, installed a new drop ceiling, and redecorated throughout to make the environment safer, warmer and more welcoming. Over half of the young people earned an Entry Level 3 City & Guilds accreditation in Painting & Decorating.
Project co-funded by Nottingham City Council (UKSPF), and supported by Dulux.
“VIY have helped us modernise our foodbank space, which had seen a lot of deterioration over the years. They’ve brightened it all up, created more storage opportunities, and made it a more welcoming space for the families we support. We rely solely on community donations, so this transformation means smuch to us.”
Rachel, Community Engagement Coordinator at the Chase Community Centre/ St Ann’s Foodbank
3. GRIT Studios, Stockport
GRIT Studios is a growing creative hub/CIC in Stockport offering space and support for local artists, entrepreneurs and community groups. To help expand their offer, we worked with 27 young people and Screwfix volunteers to build stud walling for a series of individual creative pods, giving users a dedicated space to work, collaborate and grow their ideas. The young people involved earned City & Guilds accreditations in Carpentry and Painting & Decorating while helping shape a vibrant new creative hub in the heart of Stockport.
Project co-funded by Barclaycard.
“The support GRIT has received from VIY & Screwfix has been an absolute game changer for our community. We now have a space we’re proud to call home. A space that’s purpose built & solid. Having the right environment can have a huge positive impact on people’s mind set & really help raise aspirations. VIY & Screwfix have given us so much & were incredibly grateful.”
Sophie Macaulay, Founder, Grit Studios
4. ARK at Egwood, Somerset
The ARK at Egwood CIC provides therapeutic, land-based support to some of Somerset’s most vulnerable community members, using nature, animal care, cooking, and more to boost connection, confidence, and wellbeing. As the centre marked its fifth anniversary, parts of the site were in need of repair and refresh. With the help of 11 local young people and 30 Screwfix volunteers, we transformed the large outdoor café areas with a vibrant Moroccan-inspired look and redecorated the toilets in a bold Georgian theme, revitalising this important community hub.
“It was an amazing experience for me to volunteer and represent Screwfix. Lovely meeting Andy, Allan, Graham and the team who all do such an AMAZING job supporting the young volunteers, giving them vital life skills and developing their confidence. Working with the youngsters and seeing them engaged and focused on a set task was heart-warming for me. It made me think how important it is for our young people to get experience and the confidence needed to enter the world of work in a positive way (we were all young once!). A wonderful initiative that I was immensely proud to be a part of.“
Screwfix Volunteer
5. Newmarket Nexus
This important community hub in Suffolk supports personal development and local skills in young people by recycling and selling unwanted items to generate revenue. Thanks to the support of 28 local young people and 17 local Screwfix volunteers, we helped them to expand skills-based support that can lead to employment pathways for young people by transforming two underused rooms into dedicated learning spaces, including adding draught-proofing and an insulated ceiling, building a DDA-compliant toilet, installing worktops for desk space and new shelving units, fitting new doors, plus plumbing and tiling works and redecoration throughout.
6. New Lodge & Ardoyne Youth Centres, Belfast
VIY’s first project in Northern Ireland! New Lodge Youth Centre, a long-established voluntary youth centre in North Belfast, provides a safe, structured space for children and young people, offering a wide range of activities from arts and sports to leadership, personal safety, and community engagement programmes. Here we redecorated large areas of the centre, and created furniture for their outdoor spaces. Having completed the work at New Lodge ahead of schedule, the VIY team and young people also supported the refresh of Ardoyne Youth Club, another local youth club in Belfast – at the request/enthusiastic support of the young people who volunteered from Ardoyne! We were grateful to be joined by Deputy Lord Mayor for Belfast, Paul Doherty, on the project too.
7. Llamau, Cardiff
Llamau is a Welsh charity supporting young people, women and children who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk. For almost 40 years, Llamau has provided safe accommodation, support, and opportunities to help people build confidence, independence, and brighter futures. We helped renovate two supported accommodation settings over a 3 week period for Llamau, with works including removing/replacing a broken/outdated kitchen, constructing a new timber bike shed, creating a covered seating area with benches and a table for residents to relax and socialise, building outdoor planters to brighten and improve the outdoor space.
This project was supported by match-funding from the Moondance Foundation and the Bell Group.
“We are absolutely delighted with the results of the projects. The kitchen here is the best we’ve seen in Llamau’s properties, and the young residents absolutely love the improvements across both properties and feel really grateful to have been supported.
The project has made a really noticeable impact on the young people involved, with all the participants buzzing from taking part, and lots of them more interested in going into the trades than before.
Thank you to Screwfix and all your wonderful volunteers for playing such an important role in making these projects happen!”Derick, Llamau Service Manager, Cardiff
