COMMUNITY AT MARSKE SAYS THANK YOU TO PRINCE’S TRUST TEAM

A team of unemployed young people from across Teesside has been thanked for completing a project that will improve life in a number of ways for a community at Marske.

With the help of funding from UKSE, the Tata Steel business-support subsidiary, eight young people on a Prince’s Trust Team Programme, run by Education Training Collective, stepped in to transform a bare grassy area adjoining Marske Football Club.

The £1370 from UKSE’s special Community Support Fund helped to buy equipment, bags, plants, tools and paint after the team presented their chosen community project to UKSE and were awarded the funding.

The team built compost bins, so that the football and bowls clubs can recycle their pitch and green cuttings, and three raised beds for flowers and sensory plants.
The young people, aged between 16 and 25, live in Redcar, Guisborough, Loftus, Billingham, Darlington and Stockton.

The 12-week Prince’s Trust Team Programmes help young people into employment through work experience, help with applications, interviews, skills including budgeting and teamwork and a community project.

UKSE is a long-term supporter of the programmes and has contributed more than £70,000 to its community projects in the region.
Peter Taylor of UKSE said “Our core business is the provision of a range of investments and managed premises to support businesses but our Community Support Fund is also important to us. These programmes not only help our young people into employment but also improve the lives of people who live in local communities.”

Stan Glover of the Marske Sports & Recreation Partnership said: “This neglected area adjoins both the football and bowls club premises and we have wanted to revitalise it for some time. We are very grateful to the team and UKSE for helping us to develop a real community club here in Marske. The young people have done an amazing job and the garden will be used and enjoyed by the whole community.

“We already have youth and senior football, outdoor bowls, a brass band, a well-used clubhouse for community groups and walking football. We intend to build on the work the team has done and improve it further by adding more beds and benches and opening up the access.

“I spent my working life in the UK steel industry so am particularly pleased that this support has come from UKSE,” he added.

Martin Copley, Prince’s Trust Team Leader at Education Training Collective, said: “We really value having UKSE as a long term partner, not only in terms of the funding they provide but also the time they spend with team members on their project presentation.”

Details of UKSE’s support for businesses are at www.ukse.co.uk and of the Prince’s Trust Team Programmes at www.the-etc.ac.uk.

PICTURE CAPTIONS:

1 Prince’s Trust Team members at work in the garden at Marske with (front right) Peter Taylor of UKSE and (back from left) Martin Copley, Team Leader; Stan Glover, Marske Sports & Recreation Partnership and Faye Hewitt, ETC.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For further information please contact Joan Grant Publicity 01434 602 832 or mobile 07754 054 571 or joan@joangrant.co.uk

UKSE, the Tata Steel subsidiary, has been supporting businesses in steel areas since 1975.
New and growing businesses are supported with tailored finance packages of up to £1m, independent advice and high quality managed business premises. UKSE also funds community projects in its areas.

The North of England office covers Tees Valley, Derwentside and West Cumbria. UKSE Innovation Centres at Kirkleatham Business Park near Redcar and on Hartlepool's Queens Meadow Business Park currently house more than 80 of Tees Valley's most exciting young businesses.

Since it was set up, UKSE has invested more than £20.6m in the Northern region, supporting more than 1,230 companies and investing a further £12m in providing purpose-built business premises. More than 17,000 jobs have been created. A Community Support Fund has donated £340,000 to a range of community projects.

Further information from UKSE, The Innovation Centre, Vienna Court, Kirkleatham Business Park, Redcar TS10 5SH Tel: 01642 777 777 or The Innovation Centre, Queens Meadow Business Park, Hartlepool TS25 5TG Tel: 01429 239 500
Email: north@ukse.co.uk Website: www.ukse.co.uk