Young People did a wonderful thing this summer!

The dust has settled, the BBQs have been put away, and life for the young people who made the Dreamscheme the great success it was have settled back into more familiar rhythms.

I hope their memories of that week will be fond and proud as they certainly showed what can be achieved if you put your hearts and backs into a project.

The weather was kind to us over the Dreamscheme week and all the outdoor tasks were completed. Staff at the Belper Children’s Centre are now the happy recipients of a new back garden complete with large shed, seating area, bird feeders and newly painted buggy store.

But the young people’s achievements did not stop there. During the week they produced bat boxes for the local park, carried out an estate clear-up day collecting a large amount of rubbish from local residents homes and, on the concluding day, planned and delivered a community BBQ for well over 100 adults and children.

The young people hand made and delivered invites to local residents, baked cakes, cooked over 200 items on the BBQs, supervised a bouncy castle, helped the Children’s Centre staff with face painting and showed people around the new garden.

It was clear through comments from passing residents that the young people’s hard work was very much appreciated and the positive message of the Dreamscheme, that ‘young people can do wonderful things’ had come across loud and clear.

Our thanks go to all the adult volunteers who supervised and encouraged the young people over the week (and for the intrepid few that chaperoned them on the trip to Alton Towers!). Also thanks to the long suffering residents of Alder Way who put up with noise, skips and mess, the Children’s Centre staff who were so accommodating and enthusiastic, the Fire Service for attending with a big shiny fire engine, and local businesses Amberol for supplying the planters and Galafield Home and Garden for their expertise and design work.

This project would not have been possible without the generous financial support of many private donors along with grant support from Derbyshire Community Foundation, Amber Valley Housing Community Chest Fund, and Derbyshire Constabulary.

There will be a full report produced over the next few weeks and we will make copies available as far as we are able.

Gareth Greenwood – Coordinator, Hope for Belper