Laying down roots thanks to grant
@PriorsCourt
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Our young people are to gain further
opportunities to develop their
employment skills thanks to a new grant
award.
We have been awarded a grant of £45,176 from BBC
Children in Need and the Youth Futures Foundation
to support a project to develop an orchard on our site.
The grant will fund the initial capital set-up costs of
the orchard - purchasing trees and associated items,
and a surface irrigation system. Also funded will be
staffing costs of a Job Coach to work with the young
people on the orchard project and other horticulture
activities over 16 months from January 2021.
Sue Piper, our Director of Education and Lifelong
Learning, said: "Vocational learning, including landbased
programmes such as horticulture, is one of
our key areas of learning- to give more opportunities
for our young people to develop the skills and
experiences required to enter the world of work. This
is particularly important as only 32% of people who
are affected by autism are in paid employment.
"The orchard project supports this ambition as our
young people can learn vital horticulture-based skills,
such as using tools and plant care.
"Not only this, the project will also provide
opportunities to improve wellbeing for both young
people and our staff members by increasing
time spent outside, and further develop positive
relationships with trusted adults."
The grant, to be awarded over an 18-month period,
has been allocated through the Inspiring Futures
grant programme. Inspiring Futures is a joint funding
programme between BBC Children in Need and the
Youth Futures Foundation.
Karen White, our Head of Fundraising, said: "This
grant from BBC Children in Need is hugely important
in allowing us to deliver this project.
"The eventual ambition is to use the apples from the
orchard to create a commercial enterprise, similar to
our ground-breaking Bread & Beyond bakery. This
then gives our young people further opportunities to
practice vocational skills in the field of business and
enterprise.
"This grant will truly help to enhance the lives and
employment opportunities of our young people both
in the short-term and long-term future."
BBC Children in Need relies on the generosity
and creativity of the thousands of supporters and
fundraisers who raise millions of pounds for the
charity every year. To date the UK public has raised
over £1 billion for children and young people across
the UK.
BBC Children in Need and the Youth Futures
Foundation are partnering to deliver Inspiring
Futures, a £7m fund to support organisations working
to improve employment outcomes for young people
who face disadvantage across the UK and who have
been affected by the impact of COVID-19.