Why Kings Trust Students Are Calling for Paint Donations

Hyde Fire Station King's Trust Team are currently five weeks into their latest programme and this week is Community Project Week. The project they have taken on is renovating the crèche facility at Tameside Women & Their Families Centre at Cavendish Mill in Ashton under Lyne.

I spoke to the Team Manager Sarah Quinn who said “everybody comes with different challenges, different things that they need to improve on and the Community Project is a good way of them actually taking ownership of something as a team. 

I started off by putting a shout out on Facebook to see if there are any community centres or any organisations in the Tameside area that could do with our help. The students then had to visit the top three venues, they asked a series of questions about what they want for the project and then they go back to the table, talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each project and they get a secret vote and whichever comes up on top is the one that they support” 

It was a delight to see so many students from a variety of backgrounds, all with different skill levels. Sarah went on to say “even just something as simple as using your own initiative. That is what a lot of young people struggle with. We have a lad called Ben, who absolutely run with the idea and started an appeal on Facebook, he’s set up a go fund me page just to try and do whatever he can. He's got loads of donations of toys already for the refugee once the renovation is complete” 

With taking on such a great project, they are in desperate need for paint (emulsion, gloss etc). Sarah said “we want to make this project really bright for the children and babies that use the centre. The young people have got a plan together of a mural. We have free rein of the room, so the young people are coming up with ideas of cartoon and TV characters that they're going to paint on there to make it nice and bright and welcoming for the children”. 

If anybody or indeed any local traders have got some spare paint (ideally unopened) that can donate also rollers, paint brushes etc, please call Sarah on 07837 948564. who can arrange collection.