Community centre refreshed thanks to Prince’s Trust Team programme

A Warwickshire community centre’s gardens and grounds have undergone a major makeover thanks to a group of selfless youths.

Thirteen youngsters aged 16 to 25 have spruced up Brunswick Hub’s external areas as part of the Leamington Prince’s Trust Team programme, delivered in Warwickshire by college group WCG.

It’s the second time Team 202 Leamington has helped out at the centre in Shrubland Street after carrying out a colourful renovation last summer.

Martin Smith, Prince’s Trust Team Leader at WCG, said the refurbished areas would be used not just by people who frequent the hub, but also by residents living in high-rise flats nearby.

“The first thing we did was give the front a complete overhaul,” he said. “We’ve done lots of weeding and replanting.

“We filled the planter with fresh herbs that people from the foodbank at the hub can use in their meals.

“In the secret garden behind the main building we’ve repainted all the fences and pots, redecorated the garden furniture which had all weathered and faded and given everything a good clean.

“They’re a fantastic team. They’ve shown real maturity and teamwork. They just want to help people in their community and that’s really refreshing and heartwarming.” her own perfect recipe for them to use. The students then had the opportunity to put their learning into practice. The choux buns were then sampled and given an enthusiastic seal of approval from all involved.

Brunswick Hub offers a range of physical activities, services, support and advice to local people of all ages.

The following week, Dave led a knife skills demonstration, beginning with how to handle knives safely, before moving on to demonstrate proper technique for hand placement when cutting and chopping food. The students put these foundational skills to good use as Dave guided them through classic chopping techniques, including chiffonade, baton, julienne, brunoise and tourney.

Commenting on the masterclass sessions and the strong partnership with Hereward College, Clive Singelton, Head of Conferences and Event Catering at Warwick Conferences, said: “At Warwick Conferences, we are determined to help young people in our local community access meaningful employment opportunities and rewarding careers.

“Our partnership with Hereward College is a key part of our efforts as a dedicated employer partner that has allowed the students there to gain experience working with our expert chefs and learn how to create items to industry standard, enhancing their knowledge in preparation of potential route for work in the hospitality and catering industry. Since embarking on this partnership, we have seen the skills students demonstrate go from strength to strength and are looking forward to continuing to seeing it continue to grow.” through a sponsored walk and tombola to pay for materials and ensure the hub did not have to fund any of the upgrade.

The two-week community project formed just one element of the wider Team programme which aims to provide young people not in education, training or employment with practical and soft skills.

For all of the programme’s community benefits, Martin said the students themselves, all from central Warwickshire or Coventry, were arguably the biggest winners.

“What the Team programme offers is invaluable,” he said. “It really does develop teamwork and gives them a massive confidence boost.

“It enables them to get out into the community and speak to people from different walks of life. A lot of them spoke to the people who use Brunswick Hub and got an idea about the many challenges they face.

“It teaches them really important lessons away from the classroom and gives them real pride in what they have achieved in a short space of time.

Learn more about Warwick Conferences at: https://warwick.ac.uk/services/conferences/

Steve Harcourt President

of Coventry & Warwickshire Chamber of Commerce

The summer months seem to have flown by and I hope many of you had the opportunity to take time off to spend with family and friends – although the weather hasn’t been much to talk about!

Whilst it seems like a distant memory now, since the General Election in May and the installation of a new Government, the Chamber has continued to work hard to engage with our new and existing MPs across the region and ensure that the voices of our businesses are heard as new policy and plans are developed. The Labour Party led a pro-business election campaign and the Chamber, on your behalf, will continue to hold them to account to ensure a positive business environment in which we can all grow and succeed.

On that note, I wanted to say thank you to each of you who take the time to complete the Quarterly Economic Survey. As a director of Prime Accountants Group, we partner with the Chamber on this important survey, which gives us critical intelligence, data and insight into how businesses in our region are performing and feeling. Please continue to complete the survey each quarter when the Chamber team send you the link.

Recently in my capacity as president, I was pleased to pay a visit to Mark, Joanna and the team at Purple Planet Packaging, one of the Chamber’s Business Influence Partners, and it was great to see a thriving business, here in Coventry and Warwickshire, who are innovating and growing and, in this instance, helping other companies to become more sustainable. Mark and Joanna relocated the business from Cornwall to Coventry and it was great to see that they are taking full advantage of the support of the Chamber and benefitting from being located in our region – recently striking a major deal with the Coventry Building Society Arena.

Looking ahead, there is a busy programme of events planned for the autumn so plenty of opportunity to learn, grow and network. In September it’s the Green Futures Expo & Summit, in October we have the International Trade Summit and in November we’ll be hosting our 24th Annual Business & Economic Conference at the IXL Events Centre in Southam. I hope I will see many of you there on the day.

Finally, the Coventry & Warwickshire Business and Community Awards have now been announced and entries will open in all categories in late September. I would urge you to do all you can to support, promote and partner with us on these awards. We want to make these awards a real celebration of Coventry & Warwickshire and invite you to celebrate with us!

Steve