VOLUNTEERS have been helping to refurbish the Parklands Leisure Centre in Okehampton thanks to a scheme set up by Fusion Lifestyle.

Fusion Lifestyle, the UK’s leading leisure charity, has partnered with social enterprise organisation, Volunteer It Yourself (VIY), to help refurbish and transform the reception area of Parklands Leisure Centre.

VIY supports young people wanting to improve their skills and employability, and as part of the project, 14 young people aged 20 to 26 committed their time to repairing and painting various public areas of the leisure centre.

These include the entry and reception area, cafe, stairwells and corridors, with volunteers being supported by expert mentors throughout the project.

Work started at the centre last month and the first phase of works has already been completed, both on time and on budget, with tools and materials supplied by home improvement retailer Wickes.

With most of the project’s participants currently NEET (not in employment, education or training), or at risk of becoming NEET, the young people gained valuable experience and worked towards achieving a City and Guild Entry Level 3 Employability Skills accreditation in painting and decorating.

One participant in the scheme is 24-year-old Gavin, who volunteered from The Amber Foundation which aims to help homeless, unemployed young people lead positive, independent futures.

He said: ‘I have learned a lot of leadership skills from overseeing a few people, and it felt good teaching them, which has also helped me to become more confident.

‘I have really enjoyed the past couple of days, and really appreciate the opportunity to learn new skills and help the local community with VIY – I know the rest of the group has too!’

Tim Mills, business development director for Fusion Lifestyle said: ‘We are delighted to partner with VIY, and we are working together to deliver real benefits to the young people in the communities that we serve. We have already helped a number of young people gain valuable work experience in similar projects at our centres across the country and we are excited to be doing the same at Parklands.’

VIY director Tim Reading said: ‘The local community sports and leisure sites operated by Fusion Lifestyle provide a great setting in which to engage young people in learning valuable vocational skills on the job whilst also volunteering to benefit their community.’

West Devon Borough Councillor Kevin Ball shared his support for the scheme: ‘I think this is a wonderful idea to give people who have been unemployed for a while a chance to gain new skills and work as a team. Obviously working towards a qualification is brilliant too.

‘Those involved have spoken very positively about the project and I wish it every success.’

Fusion Lifestyle recently took over the running of local leisure facilities across the South Hams and West Devon, including Parklands Leisure Centre.