A project in a village near Darlington is opening up opportunities for young adults with learning difficulties after expanding with help from a County Durham employer.
Five Acres Community Garden, in Brafferton, received a £2,000 grant from The Banks Group to refurbish and equip a portakabin social enterprise hub at its headquarters.
The hub supports more than 30 young adults with learning difficulties, known as “Champions”, through digital design, product creation and enterprise activities.
Charlotte Iceton, centre manager at Five Acres Community Garden, said: "Our Champions come from right across the North East, with the experiences we provide designed to help them develop practical social, independent living and employability skills, as well as greater confidence in themselves and their ability to succeed.
"There aren’t many places where they can learn new skills at their own pace with the information and environment tailored specifically to their needs, so we’ve designed our new social enterprise hub with meeting these needs specifically in mind."
Participants design and make items such as T-shirts and mugs, which are sold to fund the project.
The latest grant paid for flooring, painting, insulation, tables, chairs and two laptops.
It is the second time The Banks Group has backed Five Acres.
Last year, a £2,000 grant paid for woodworking equipment at the workshop, after Five Acres moved to the site in spring.
Debbie and Gavin Iceton founded Five Acres in Newton Aycliffe in 2019 after seeing services for young people with additional needs decline while running their transport business.
They set out to build an agricultural and horticultural centre on their Brafferton land, giving young adults tailored opportunities to develop social, independent living and work skills.
Activities at the site include cookery, gardening, animal care, arts and crafts.
The Champions sell products including keyrings, coasters and chopping boards to raise funds for the project.
Ms Iceton said: "We’re providing our Champions with new opportunities to use technology to make things we can sell, which will help to raise vital funds for Five Acres and help them see what sorts of activities they enjoy and excel at.
"Having this new space will make a massive difference to the learning opportunities that our Champions can access and we’re grateful to Banks for helping us bring in the equipment that we needed to start to fully realise its potential."
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The Banks Group is behind the proposed Beaumont Hill development north of Darlington, which would include up to 600 homes, public open space, a convenience store and biodiversity improvements.
Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at The Banks Group, said: "The Five Acres team has turned a long-term vision into a brilliant facility for its young Champions and is giving them even more chances to enjoy developing new life and technical skills."
Point North, formerly the County Durham Community Foundation, independently manages The Banks Group’s community funds.
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