Five young men from Patchway Youth Centre got their hands dirty for a very good cause by refurbishing a minibus which was then donated for use by people from across South Gloucestershire.
Hayden Waldron, Tom Everard, Joe Desambrois, Daniel Head and Ryan Hooper attended the Wheels Project over the last year with all of them gaining two OCR certificates in Motor Maintenance.
Between them they have completely refurbished a minibus donated by Avon and Somerset Police, even adding new windows. In a ceremony held at the youth centre last month, the bus was donated to Four Towns Community Transport for use by young people and the wider community in South Gloucestershire.
Funding by The Big Stash made participation in the Wheels Project possible for the five young men. The project was designed to raise self-esteem, develop new skills and improve employment prospects for the participants.
Councillor Sheila Cook, executive member for children and young people, said: “We are proud to celebrate the achievements of these young men. The Wheels Project has helped them to learn new skills and has enhanced their employment prospects. We congratulate them and wish them well for the future.”
One of the young men, Haydon Waldron, said: “I really enjoyed the project and I’m glad that our hard work has resulted in a benefit to our local community. The project has helped point me in the right direction job-wise, but not as a mechanic – I’m currently on a plumbing apprenticeship. Many thanks to Patchway Youth Centre and South Gloucestershire Council for giving me this great opportunity.”
Pictured (above) from left are Councillor Shirley Holloway, chair of both South Gloucestershire Council and Four Towns Community Transport, Russ Summers of Patchway Youth Club, Councillor Sheila Cook, executive member for children and young people, Joe Desambrois and Hayden Waldron who both worked on the minibus project, David Glossop, general manager of the Wheels Project.
Source: South Gloucestershire Council
