Volunteering project for young people in Coventry and Warwickshire officially launched
A volunteering project aiming to help young people in Coventry and Warwickshire learn valuable skills has been officially launched by Coventry’s mayor at a historic site in the city.
National training provider PET-Xi, which is based in Coventry, has partnered with Historic Coventry Trust to provide volunteers to help improve the Charterhouse Heritage Park.
The Grade I listed building, located just off London Road, is being reopened to the public in the summer after a major restoration project.
And volunteers who are training with PET-Xi picked litter around Charterhouse’s grounds on the day to start their work.
The volunteers will now attend every Friday to help out, and the company hopes this project will be a springboard for other volunteering projects around the region.
They are part of PET-Xi’s Positive Futures programme, which aims to help 15 to 24-year-olds not in employment, education or training improve their skills and get ahead.
PET-Xi’s volunteers will also be helping tidy up parkland around the region as part of its partnership with World Against Single Use Plastics (WASUP), a charity which educates communities about recycling and discourage the use of single use plastics.
Kerri Bowers, contract manager at PET-Xi, said: “We’re very pleased to have launched our volunteering project at the Charterhouse, and we’re grateful to Historic Coventry Trust for allowing our trainees to participate in the restoration.
“Those on the project will be helping out through activities like litter picking and restoring wildlife habitat.
“Volunteering helps build key skills, such as teamwork, punctuality, and commitment. It also helps combat social anxiety, which can be a big barrier to employment for some people.
“This is a great opportunity for young people on the Positive Futures programme to not only improve themselves and break down barriers to accessing employment and education, but also to contribute to a brilliant civic project with lasting benefits to the public.
“We’re hopeful this volunteering project will be the first of many for PET-Xi trainees around the region.”
Coventry City Mayor Cllr Ann Lucas was there to attend the launch, and was full of praise for the young volunteers.
She said: “It was fantastic to see some of the young people being trained by PET-Xi giving up their time to work on such a worthwhile project.
“When Charterhouse opens later this summer, they can be proud of what they’ve contributed to its restoration.
“It’s also great to hear that this will be the first of many volunteering projects for young people training with PET-Xi. The partnership with WASUP means plenty of parkland around the region will get a tidy up thanks to the efforts of PET-Xi’s volunteers.
“Volunteering teaches all sorts of life skills, and I hope those who take part in these projects are able to use the skills they’ve learned to get to where they want to be in their lives.”