Bridgwater Team 42
Nine unemployed young people from Bridgwater unite and give a sensory makeover to a rundown garden at the West Huntspill Day Centre for adults with learning disabilities.
The group, aged 16-22, had come together on Team - a 12 week programme which builds confidence and employability prospects of unemployed young people.
After choosing to support the Day Centre, the group came across their first hurdle - fundraising.
More than half the Team battled with anxiety and communication issues. This meant the prospect of talking to the public during a fundraising bag pack they had organised at ASDA terrified them. Yet, showing great maturity, they supported each other and raised £224.24 in just four hours. They also secured donations of paint and tyres and forged strong relationships with Dulux and Somerset Auto & Tyres.
Zoe Mills, Bridgwater Team 42 member, said:
Carefully managing their budget, and taking the time and thought to put themselves in the place of the service users, the Team worked consistently hard to make the sensory garden come to life. The end result was a work of art - the garden is now one of the most popular spaces at the Centre.
Proud of what they had achieved, the young people completed the rest of the programme filled with enthusiasm and are now all volunteering, in education, traineeships or in work.
Ricky Dean, Bridgwater Team 42 member, said: