Sanctus LTD offered young people from Leicestershire Cares the opportunity to participate with major landscaping work at the Aylestone Meadows site in Leicester. The £300,000 investment project involves creating three new shallow ponds to reduce flooding across the meadows and developing better access and footpaths for the public. Work there also includes carpentry, tree work and tree planting, gardening, ecology and working outdoors in all weather conditions.
Adam Wright, participant on the WIRE Project, has been eager to complete a voluntary work placement to add some recent work experience to his CV and to receive a reference which will help him with future employment opportunities.
He would like to work towards gaining his forklift licence, and the WIRE Project has offered to support him to fund the cost of his forklift training on successful completion of the voluntary placement with Sanctus.
Throughout his time so far with Sanctus, Adam has proven to be hardworking and shown fantastic dedication to ensure he successfully completes his placement.
Adam currently resides in Melton Mowbray and has committed to working fulltime for two weeks at the Aylestone Meadows site in Leicester. This involves a lot of travelling for Adam, including a 6am wake up call to ensure he is out of the house and at work on time. He then gets stuck in with the physical aspects of the job, regardless of the cold, wet and muddy conditions.
Adam is coming to the end of his first week on placement, and so far, he has really enjoyed his time with Sanctus. We hope that this opportunity will be a steppingstone that will help him improve his chances of finding employment soon.
J’Vorge, participant on the Leaving Care Project, is keen to find work that is flexible and can be adapted to accommodate his circumstances and support needs. He is a hard worker, a team player and through this placement with Sanctus, he has had the opportunity to manage his own hours and has loved the ‘hands on’ approach to the work.
At the site J’Vorge has been laying new planks for the new boardwalk, helped to clear mud from the public pathways and gardening and landscaping. J’Vorge ensures he is on time every morning and has impressed his supervisors arriving at 8am and working all day. He has especially enjoyed creating the boardwalk, working with the team and having some routine in his week with something that he genuinely looks forward to.
Environmental Director at Sanctus, Richard Stockdale said; "We are hugely passionate about improving the natural environment… Especially wonderful, has been the ability to use this project for so much more by realising genuine social value in the process welcoming people into a working environment that for many 2different reasons have struggled to find long term employment that works for both them and an employer.”
Gemma Williams, Assistant Environmental Engineer for Sanctus was tasked with supervising both J’Vorge and Adam. She has been impressed by the work ethic of both young people and their determination throughout the placement:
We hope this experience has been both a useful and productive one for them - It has been wonderful seeing them enjoy the work that they have taken part in. They have been a huge help to the project and we are very thankful for the work that they have put in!
Congratulations to both Adam and J’Vorge on their hard work and thank you to Sanctus for this opportunity for our young people. Are you a young person looking for work or work experience, or a business willing to support young people with work experience or employment? If so, please contact Sonal on the Leaving Care Project at Sonal@leicestershirecares.co.uk or Rudi on the WIRE Project at Rudi@leicestershirecares.co.uk
