A charity that helps people with issues around drugs, alcohol and mental health has been given a helping hand to spruce up its premises in Redcar by a team of 11 unemployed young people from the area.
The young people, on a Prince’s Trust Team Programme run by Stockton Riverside College designed to help them into employment, successfully won through a Dragons Den-style presentation to secure funding from UK Steel Enterprise’s Community Support Fund.
They used the £850 to buy paint and equipment then spent a week decorating the premises of Addaction on Redcar’s High Street to provide a more cheerful and welcoming base for service users.
Maureen McCaul of Addaction said: “We were delighted when the Prince’s Trust team and UK Steel Enterprise chose to help us in this way as we rely heavily on funding from a range of sources. The team worked really hard and it has made such a difference to everyone who uses the Centre.”
Addaction is now in its 50th year, supporting young people and adults who have issues with drugs, alcohol and mental health to make a lasting change in their lives with information, links to services, day programmes, group meetings and individual sessions.
The 11 young people, aged between 16 and 25, complete a community project like this one as part of their Team Programme which also includes work experience, preparation for interviews and building skills from communication and budgeting to teamwork. Three out of four young people helped by the Prince’s Trust go on to employment, further education or training.
Sarah Thorpe of UK Steel Enterprise, the Tata Steel business-support subsidiary, said: “UKSE is a long term supporter of these Prince’s Trust programmes on Teesside. They help unemployed youngsters into work and also support an organisation like Addaction that is doing valuable work in one of our steel areas. Our Community Support Fund has now backed 35 of these projects with a total of more than £50,000.”
Craig Murphy of the Prince’s Trust Team said: “Not only does the UK Steel Enterprise funding help finance the Team’s community project but the presentation the young people make to its business panel is also invaluable experience for them.”
Details of UK Steel Enterprise’s support for businesses and community projects are available on www.uksteelenterprise.co.uk and 01642 777 777.