Published: Tuesday 06th July 2021 | 2.09pm
Young people from South Staffordshire College Futures group have received awards this week after volunteering in Cannock Park.
South Staffordshire Futures group are young people that have left formal education. They have volunteered in Cannock Park for several weeks, following the lifting of some of the Covid-19 restrictions.
All of the young people received certificates and medals from Councillor Adrienne Fitzgerald, which were funded by the Building Resilient Families and Communities grant gained by the Friends of Hednesford Park.
The medals are an initiative to encourage and inspire young people to dedicate some of their time to volunteering. They also received a badge for their work in making a community banner for the centenary of the Royal British Legion on 15 May.
The young people also took part in a Dementia Friends Awareness training session and made a community banner for Cannock park, for the Alzheimer’s Societies Awareness week.
Councillor Adrienne Fitzgerald, Portfolio Leader for Housing, Heritage and Leisure said “I am delighted to award these amazing young people with their certificates today. The collaboration between the Council and the college has enabled them to volunteer for the benefit of the community. As well as developing their own skills, they have worked so hard in Cannock Park, from planting flowers, including an incredible wildflower bed, to cleaning railings and flag poles as well as undertaking Dementia Friend training. I hope their efforts will inspire and encourage others to do the same. They should be very proud of themselves and what they have achieved.”
Councillor Doug Smith, Councillor for Cannock West Ward said "I have the good fortune to have been a volunteer for over 30 years with various organisations. In that time I have seen that every group such as yours enriches the community of which it is part, Keep up the good work."
A spokesperson from South Staffordshire College said “ a Supported to Learn group, at Cannock campus has been working on developing their communication and independence throughout the year, building on key skills and having a wide variety of experiences throughout the year. All of which have helped lead up to the learners becoming confident and comfortable to participate in work experience with Cannock Chase District Council. The learners worked with the Community Education team, renovating and maintaining the local parks and raising awareness of Dementia in their local community (all learners achieving the status of ‘Dementia Friend’) an acknowledgement of their hard work.”
A new cohort from the South Staffordshire College Futures group will be volunteering again in September this year.