Pictured above: Cash for carers - Ptrian (correct)
Pragas (left), who helped to raise £1,000 for Coventry Young
Carers, joins carers Zulaeha Talib, Jordan Davis, Kiera Wills,
Moran Davis and brother Preston, watched by Pertemps People
Development Group's Tracy Vernon
A group of young unemployed people in Coventry found the recipe
for success when they decided to help raise money for a city
charity.
Hard work was on the menu as they staged events and developed
business ideas. All the effort paid off and they recently presented
the £1,000 they raised to the Coventry Young Carers Project,
enabling it to equip a new training kitchen.
The group of more than 40 young people were supported and
motivated by staff at employment experts Pertemps People
Development Group (PPDG) during a Work Focused Training
initiative.
Site manager Tracy Vernon, based at PPDG's offices in Smithford
Way, Coventry, said many of the group of young people attending the
training initiative had exceeded all expectations and she was very
proud of their achievements. As well as hitting their charity
target, many had now gone on to secure jobs.
Pauline Dye, centre manager at the Princess Royal Trust Coventry
Carers Centre in City Arcade, said: "This is fantastic news for
Young Carers in Coventry and a great example of how organisations
working together in partnership can increase the support services
available to vulnerable people. The money will be used to kit out a
new kitchen so that we can help young carers to develop cooking
skills both to help them in their caring role and for when they
move away from home. On behalf of all the many young carers we
support I would like to say a big thank you to Pertemps People
Development Group for making this possible."
The group decided to set themselves a series of challenges to
raise money for the carers charity. Inspired by Lord Alan Sugar and
the young hopefuls taking part in a recent series of The
Apprentice, the group believed they had what it takes to make a
good profit which they would donate to the charity. They also
believed the experience would provide them with the edge when
applying for jobs at local companies.
They established a website, staged a car boot sale, made cakes
that they sold on a stall, and sold plants to local gardeners. PPDG
provided advice and support to help them raise the funds.
The initiative marked the start of a blossoming relationship
with the Coventry Young Carers Project. Having raised £1,000
for the charity, the Work Focused Training group now plans to help
refurbish its premises at the Methodist Central Hall. Young people
will take part in decorating, fitting the new kitchen, laying
flooring and other activities which will help them learn new
skills.
Tracy said: "I'm so proud of all of them. Their achievements are
fantastic and they have exceeded my expectations and their own. The
fundraising activities gave them a confidence boost. They were
innovative, creative, they worked as a team and they developed a
business plan. We showed faith in them and they achieved more than
they set out to do."
PPDG was last year awarded the £8.3 million Work Focused
Training contract to provide vocational training opportunities and
employability skills to 18 to 24-year-olds. The move is part of the
Backing Young Britain campaign, in partnership with the Future Jobs
Fund and the Community Taskforce, which encourages organisations to
provide young people with the opportunities they need to get into
work. PPDG is delivering the contract from its sites in Birmingham
and Solihull, West Bromwich and the Black Country, Coventry and
Warwickshire, the Marches and Staffordshire.