Residents at Nottinghamshire YMCA’s hostel at Commercial Gate, in Mansfield, put their creative skills to the test by creating a ‘thank you’ cake for Greggs bakery as part of a local initiative.
New skills
Thanks to funding support from Groundwork Greater Nottingham, which is dedicated to improving the lives of local people and their communities, six residents staying at Nottinghamshire YMCA’s hostel embarked upon a project to develop vital life skills.
With baking sessions led by the charity’s Youth Worker, Charlotte Johnson, the initiative gave residents an opportunity to experience setting up and delivering a community project, along with learning life skills including budgeting and teamwork.
The initiative concluded with the residents coming together to bake and present a ‘thank you’ cake to the local Greggs team members, who kindly donate food every Monday and Friday to residents staying at the hostel.
Act of gratitude
“It is moving to see our residents come together and work as a team to deliver this act of gratitude,” said Charlotte Johnson, Youth Worker at Nottinghamshire YMCA.
“Many residents were rough sleepers facing complex life challenges before they turned to us for support and guidance, and the generous community-minded attitudes of local businesses such as Greggs makes an enormous difference.
“For too many young people in Mansfield, finding a safe place to sleep is only the tip of the iceberg. We are enormously grateful to Groundwork for making initiatives such as this possible and helping to equip our residents with vital life skills.”
Support available
If you know someone in need of emergency housing support in Mansfield, please contact the Nottinghamshire YMCA Housing team on 01623 407 801 or email stay@nottsymca.org.