Young volunteers bring festive cheer to Brookside Community Centre

The group of unemployed youngsters aged who redecorated the main hall at Brookside Community Centre in Alkrington

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A group of unemployed youngsters aged 16 to 25 have dedicated the last 3 weeks to redecorate the main hall at Brookside Community Centre in Alkrington.

The eleven volunteers carried out improvements including sanding, painting, creating artwork murals, putting up Christmas decorations and litter picking. The work was carried out as part of the Community Project element of the Prince’s Trust personal development course, run by Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale.

Robyn Leith, Prince’s Trust team member, said: “The Community Project gave me the chance to be a leader and it was great to work as part of a good team to give benefit to the local community.”

The Prince’s Trust Team programme is a 13-week development course that helps young unemployed people by boosting confidence and developing the skills needed for work or further training.

For the community project the youngsters planned the project and organised a fundraising event to enable it to happen. Support for the project was also boosted by a generous donation of materials from Wickes.

Julie Hall, Community Centre Manager, added: “Thank you to all the young people on Groundwork Prince’s Trust for all their hard work and for making a real difference.”

Jill Eckersley, Prince’s Trust Team Leader at Groundwork Oldham & Rochdale, commented: “It has been wonderful to see the young people take so much pride in doing something positive for the local community. Their enthusiasm and strong work ethic ensured the project was a great success and both rewarding and enjoyable. They have gained skills in teamwork and leadership whilst planning and carrying out this project. Hopefully their work will challenge negative perceptions of young people in the local area. They have been dedicated and positive throughout.”