Boost for youth support in Lowestoft as Inspire charity gets help with revamp

A team from Sizewell C and their local supply chain turned into gardeners, painters, and handymen when they volunteered to support a youth charity in Lowestoft that empowers young people to achieve a better future.

Inspire, a youth charity that supports under 25s in Suffolk, put out a DIY SOS to help with the grounds of the building where they provide valuable local youth support in Lowestoft, including mental health programmes, career mentoring, holiday clubs, and Prince’s Trust schemes.

The Sizewell C Force for Good volunteering day saw employees from Sizewell C join their supply chain colleagues from Associated British Ports (ABP), Volker, and Ferncom to revamp the outside spaces for the charity, including painting, gardening, and waste removal.

Danielle Wright, Operations Manager, Inspire, said: “We really wanted to improve the outside space for the young people we support, but we’re limited in what we can do ourselves. We can only allocate a few hours maintenance a week, and even something like organising a skip requires careful budgeting.

“To have Sizewell C, ABP, and the teams down here is really transformational for us. Nothing was too much trouble – and they have totally revamped the space for us. It would have taken us months to do all this ourselves.

“It means that young people who come here looking for support and a safe space can use our outside environment in the warmer weather; it means our counselling sessions can happen in a much more friendly and brighter environment; and it means an all-round higher-quality space for all the young people who we support.”

Inspire supports the personal development and wellbeing of young people across Suffolk, as well as helping them overcome obstacles and progress onto professional pathways. Collaborating with families, other charities and local businesses, the charity provides access to education programmes, wellbeing services, sports activities and career guidance.

Michael English, one of the Sizewell C volunteers, said: “Having the opportunity to help Inspire like this was an incredibly rewarding experience for me personally. Being able to see the immediate impact of the work by creating an environment that helps people thrive and enjoy the area highlights the importance of community effort in supporting and enhancing key local facilities.”

Paul Ager, Divisional Port Manager at ABP, said: “Seeing the ABP Lowestoft team come together, and join forces with other businesses to support Inspire, has been incredibly fulfilling. At ABP, we are committed to strengthening our communities, and this initiative in Lowestoft is a perfect example of how collaborative efforts can make a significant impact.”

Other local companies joined the collective effort too, with paint provided by Portable Space in Bacton, Suffolk, and Homebase in Lowestoft providing discounts on materials.

Danielle Wright said: “The more organisations that can provide support to us, the more we’re able to support the support local young people, help them find happiness, and make positive decisions about their future.”

Inspire is one of Sizewell C’s social partners, alongside organisations such as Access Community Trust, Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality, Outreach Youth, Project 21, Women into Construction, and the Department for Work and Pensions. These partners work with Sizewell C to ensure the project and its many opportunities are accessible, diverse, and inclusive.

The project’s Young Sizewell C initiative also helps connect young people in Suffolk to in-demand career and apprenticeship opportunities in the region. This includes jobs in Suffolk and Norfolk, as well as providing information and updates on the future Sizewell C project.