TOOLSTATION AND PARTNERS HELP TRANSFORM LAMBETH BOXING CLUB WITH VOLUNTEER IT YOURSELF (VIY)
Posted by: electime 20th May 2024
26 young volunteers gain skills in painting and decorating and health and safety
Toolstation, one of Britain’s fastest-growing suppliers of tools and building supplies has joined forces with social enterprise Volunteer It Yourself (VIY) for its latest project, transforming the Traffic Light System Boxing Club in Lambeth, London. The club was established by local boxing coach and carpenter Richard Vassel in August 2022.
Richard has taken two years out to transform the gym himself, which had been derelict for over 20 years, and enlisted the help of the local community to help including sourcing and upcycling equipment. The gym aims to use boxing to help transform the lives of individuals in the community, with regular classes for different age groups and for those with special educational needs.
VIY’s work over the last few weeks saw them help put the finishing touches to the club, including fitting specialist flooring, creating bench seating for the boxing hall, tiling the bathroom spaces and the ice bath room, and painting and decorating throughout the club.
The initiative is helping more young people learn DIY skills and to consider a career in the construction and building industry, whilst renovating a space they may use and benefit from.
Toolstation is funding and helping the volunteers gain City & Guilds qualifications as part of its partnership with VIY. The project saw 26 young volunteers between the ages of 14 to 24, including ESOL learners from ELATT college, Lambeth Council’s Back on Track employability service and the local JobCentre come together and spend a total of 15 days work on the project, with all participants being awarded a City & Guilds accreditation in Painting and Decorating and Health and Safety.
The project was also co-funded by Lambeth Council and Sport England, with the Powerday Foundation donating equipment to get the club up and running and Dulux donating the paint. The local Travis Perkins Vauxhall branch also donated timber to support the club’s progress earlier in the year.
Rupert Nichols, Customer and Commercial Director at Toolstation said:
“Richard and VIY have delivered an absolute knockout with the transformation of this boxing club. The classes and club will deliver so much for the local community.
“At Toolstation, we believe that supporting communities involves creating positive change where it’s needed most. Partnering with VIY means we can help improve living conditions and share valuable skills with the young volunteers from the local area. We believe that this project will encourage young people to develop confidence and learn practical trade and building skills and to consider a career in the trade.”
Tim Reading, CEO at VIY, said: “This partnership between VIY, Toolstation, Powerday, Lambeth Council, Sport England and Dulux is a testament to our shared commitment to making a lasting impact on the community through vital grassroots sports clubs just like this one through cross-sector partnership working, and boosting skills and work-readiness for young people not in education, training or employment.”
Toolstation will continue to support a number of other VIY projects throughout 2024, and have set a target to help over 100 young people gain qualifications and consider a career in the trades.
