St Barnabas Church in Coventry has been transformed after a group of ten youngsters participating in the well-known Coventry boot camp initiative, set to work painting and renovating its communal garden area.

Under the watchful eye of Willmott Dixon staff, the church has seen its communal gardens refreshed and its entrance hall painted. The work was carried out by a group of 16-24 year olds taking part in an established two-week ‘boot camp’ course, featuring workshops on pitching ideas to businesses, mock interviews and soft skills such as CV writing.

Willmott Dixon’s community team, who are currently working with Midland Heart, planned the day’s activities to ensure that participating youngsters learnt new skills whilst completing the work to benefit the church and its community. Willmott Dixon’s supply partner, Travis Perkins, once again donated tools and equipment.

Boot Camp, organised by three Coventry housing associations - Midland Heart, Whitefriars Housing and Orbit Heart of England - gives young people a chance to turn their lives around, with the incentive of paid apprenticeships, work placements and training opportunities on completion.

"This is the second boot camp we have been involved in and are delighted to help provide young people with practical, hands on experience that is hoped to benefit their future employability"
Leo Daniels, customer and community partner at Willmott Dixon’s Midland Heart Branch

The project comes under the worklessness banner of Willmott Dixon’s 4Cornerstones initiative, by working to increase the employability of local people. 4Cornerstones is a dedicated strategy demonstrating a structured approach to its contribution to the community.

This project has been delivered by Willmott Dixon Partnerships team currently working with Midland Heart to deliver its service to 5,300 homes across the East and West Midlands. The housing repairs and maintenance company is delivering responsive repairs to homes across Stratford-upon-Avon, Rugby, Burton-on-Trent, Coventry, Hinckley and Northampton.

Staff from Willmott Dixon’s Midland Heart branch planned and supervised the refurbishment work, providing the young people with practical experience whilst improving the facilities for users of the church.

Customer and community partner at Willmott Dixon’s Midland Heart Branch, Leo Daniels, said: “This is the second boot camp we have been involved in and are delighted to help provide young people with practical, hands on experience that is hoped to benefit their future employability.

“We are seeing the genuine transformation in the prospects of the young people involved and this is being achieved by a fantastic partnership approach. The team all worked incredibly hard and the project will not only make a difference to those taking part, but to the church and the local community which use the gardens on a regular basis.”

Partap Mashih, pastor at St Barnabas Church, said:

“The young volunteers did a great job and are worth their weight in gold. They’ve shared their time and talents and I would like to thank them once again for this hard work.”