Equans is delighted to have completed a major milestone in the restoration of the Guy Harvey Youth Centre in Nantwich, as part of a partnership with Cheshire East Council.
The facilities, which is used numerous times a week by the local community, was in need of a full refurbishment and refresh with Equans stepping in to complete the first phase.
The project took one week to complete, with 21 volunteers getting stuck in and delivering a total of 202 hours and over £2500 of support. The Centre has been fully repainted inside, with a ‘sensory snug’ area created as a safe space for children and young adults with neurodiversity. This area was also fully painted, with furniture and equipment including sensory lighting, play mats and soft play equipment, communication aids, beanbags and book cases all purchased by Equans.
The centre is set for further renovations including a gaming area and youth cinema, with work set to fully complete in May 2024.
The Centre currently holds a youth club three nights per week, creating a safe space for young people to meet up and relax while also providing support on a range of topics. The space is also used by various other local businesses to run events and hold classes.
Equans has a close relationship with Cheshire East Council, providing facilities management support as well as bespoke carbon net-zero road mapping, helping the Council reach their net zero targets. They recently supported the Council in securing specialised decarbonisation funding from the Government, before suggesting ways in which they could maximise this to lower their carbon emissions.
Anna Burton, Councillor for Nantwich North and West, said: “A massive thank you to Equans for helping us to kickstart this project by redecorating the space and creating a wonderful sensory room. This has been transformational. Our renovations continue into 2024 with our official opening in May 2024 with a new website and an exciting programme of activities which we hope to include gaming tournaments and a cinema club.
“It is so important to give young people a space to form positive relationships with peers outside of the school environment, and to learn new skills in an informal environment.”
Greg Fitzmaurice, Operations Director at Equans, said: “As part of our 10-year partnership with Cheshire East Council, Equans has made a commitment to undertake a minimum of 3,000 hours of volunteering and donate a minimum of £50,000 to support local charities and projects, such as this. I am very proud of all of the Equans staff who volunteered their time to support this fantastic project which will benefit the local community massively, creating a key hub for children and young adults to use.
“All of our staff can take two days leave per year to undertake volunteering to support projects such as this, and I’m sure this is the first of many similar schemes to come.”
