A new social enterprise based in Park Barn and Westborough called Glade will offer a chance to young people to learn new skills and improve their employment prospects. The joint project is supported by Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership, Oakleaf Enterprise, Guildford YMCA and Guildford Borough Council.
This new initiative will see Glade provide opportunities for local residents in disadvantaged areas, where participants will benefit from access to training, skills and work opportunities. These young people will work in supervised teams providing gardening services to Guildford Borough Council or street cleansing in Westborough ward. They will also work towards an accredited qualification with opportunities to move onto paid employment with Glade afterwards.
Cllr Stephen Mansbridge, Leader of the Council has said, “This is another fantastic example of the benefits that social enterprise can bring. We have already seen the success of the Guildford Bike Project and we have every confidence that Glade and its volunteers will provide an excellent service. Social enterprise projects really need the support of their local communities to grow, so I hope businesses and residents will consider using Glade for gardening work in the future.”
Councillors have agreed that Glade will deliver selected gardening and street cleansing services while training local apprentices. Guildford College will then provide a programme of training and skills development to help volunteers have access to permanent employment thereafter.
The Chief Executive at Surrey Lifelong Learning Partnership (SLLP), Kevin Delf commented, “SLLP have always looked for partnerships to provide creative and innovative ways to bring learning into practical situations and change lives in a meaningful way. The most effective way to empower communities is to provide opportunities for people within them to make decisions about what affects their community together with practical opportunities to learn skills to make things happen for them, their family and wider community. We look forward to this project as a strong example of partners who are working towards these aims coming together to support the community in this too.”
Adding to this, Pete Brayne, Chief Executive of Guildford YMCA said, “The YMCA in Guildford is very pleased to be working in partnership to ensure young people are given the opportunity to gain valuable work experience and training. The success of these initiatives has a proven track record and we are delighted to expand these opportunities in Guildford.”
Clive Stone, the CEO of Oakleaf Enterprise also commented, “Glade is a fantastic social enterprise that ties into the work and support we provide at Oakleaf through vocational training in Horticulture. The opportunity it provides our service users is tremendous; the project allows us to continue building valuable community links and ultimately give back through volunteer and employment opportunities for those involved.”
All the profits from Glade will be reinvested in developing more training opportunities and benefits for the wider local community as it is a social enterprise. And Glade will also encourage local people in Westborough and Stoke to become involved in its management so that it becomes a sustainable community run business.
If you are a local businesses or resident that may require gardening services, please get in contact with Glade on 01483 487892.