Young people paint their way to a brighter future

Published by Gareth Holmes for Sanctuary Housing Association in Housing and also in Education

Young people from a supported housing Foyer in Weston-super-Mare have been given the opportunity to brush up on their painting and decorating skills at a special training event.

Organised by Sanctuary Maintenance in partnership with national builders’ merchant Travis Perkins, the fun but also highly practical training course saw 13 tenants from Weston Foyer brighten up an area of their home and gain valuable new decorating skills in the process.

Weston Foyer, managed by Sanctuary Supported Living, provides a safe and secure place for 16 to 25-year-olds to live. The Foyer’s dedicated team also equip the young people with the skills they need to live independent, fulfilled lives, which includes helping them apply to local colleges and gain recognised qualifications.

Supported by staff from Sanctuary Maintenance, the young tenants were given the chance to splash some colour and redecorate a corridor in the Foyer as part of their training exercise which also included preparation, painting and much more.

Each tenant was presented with a certificate to mark completion of the course and decorating vouchers to help get them started when they get their own homes.

Foyer tenant Georgina Pender said: “It’s been amazing to have this opportunity to paint a corridor in the Foyer where I live and I now feel confident enough to do it myself. It was also a fantastic experience to work with others and do something together as part of a team.”

Dennis Evans, Managing Director for Sanctuary Maintenance, commented: “We are always looking for ways to support our young tenants. This training has provided the ideal platform to help them develop new skills and confidence which will make a positive difference to their lives.”

James Clack, sales director for Travis Perkins Managed Services, added: “We are delighted to have been able to support this project at Weston Foyer with Sanctuary. Working with, and being part of the local community is an inherent part of our organisation’s culture and incredibly important to us. We look forward to supporting further projects in the future.”