Youngsters on Citizen Service scheme praised as ‘Godsend’ by canals charity
TEENAGERS in Loughborough have been boosting their careers prospects while giving a canals charity a helping hand.
They took part in a National Citizen Service (NCS) programme, which aims to give 15 to 17-year-olds transferable skills outside the classroom that can enhance their CVs and university entrance forms.
As part of their programme, the teens focus on ways that they can benefit their communities.
The Loughborough teenagers worked with the Peter le Marchant Trust.
During the holidays the trust offers pirate boat rides and educational trips for people with any type of disability, while keeping the waterways clean and ready for use.
The NCS youngsters worked hard cleaning barges, repairing old boats and transforming the garden space at the trust, creating a sensory garden for visitors to enjoy.
The young people learned how to do risk assessments to transform the garden and built and painted a fence within a week. They also joined in the fun during Pirate Week, dressing up and taking part in fund-raising activities for the trust such as sponge throwing, a bake sale and a raffle.
Angie Whitmore, youth project coordinator for the trust, said: “We run solely on grants and donations, so to have the help of NCS young people has been such a Godsend to us.“They’ve worked so hard and achieved so much for us. The trust really wants to bring in more young people, so working with NCS was perfect.
“It’s been an interesting few weeks and the input from them and what they’ve done at the trust is phenomenal.
“They’ve created a long-term impact on the trust and we hope that they come back again.”
Clare le Marchant, founder of the trust, added: “I think the work is just fantastic – anyone who’s involved with this has found that they’re really contributing and that their own self esteem has gone up, as well as increasing the joy and happiness to others who visit the Peter le Marchant Trust centre.”
One of the teenagers who took part in the programme said: “I was dreading NCS, but there’s been nothing to dread!
“I loved cleaning the boats and the canal – it’s nice to make a difference and volunteer for something.
“We probably would never have volunteered for anything like this if it hadn’t been for NCS.”