Partnership work between young and old in St Ives

The festive display runs along each of the three-storey Penwith Housing Association sheltered accommodation balconies. It had been left up longer than normal this year due to the ill health of the resident who normally takes charge of the operation. However, the partnership work between PHA and the ‘Freestyle' Programme saw the speedy dismantling take place by four young teens, their Freestyle coordinators and PHA staff.

The Freestyle Programme is a Penwith Community Development Trust (PCDT) initiative which supports young adults in Penwith who are aged 14-19 yrs old and not in employment, education or training. Young people enrolled on the 12 week programme are offered advice, guidance and support to suit their individual needs and circumstances.

The programme leader, Phil Russell commented: “When John Kind from PHA approached us about this, we saw volunteering for this task as an ideal opportunity to encourage team work, and also to help breakdown age barriers in the community. The residents of Penameyne were really pleased to see the positive attitudes of our team and we completed what was quite a large task much more quickly than we expected.”

If you would like more details about the Freestyle Programme, please contact: Phil Russell on 07872548420 or ‘phil@pcdt.org.uk’.