- Cadent interns help Coventry primary school
- Students spruce up play area for four and five-year-olds
- Cadent responds to Mayor’s appeal
Four students on an award-winning, supported internship scheme with Coventry firm Cadent brushed up on their painting skills to help youngsters at the city’s John Gulson Primary School.
Led by Cadent’s Christian Dawes, the four interns - Bailey, Daniel, Heidi and Jamie - swapped their day jobs at Cadent to spruce up the school’s play area for reception year children, after an appeal from West Midlands Mayor Andy Street urging businesses to lend a hand to worthy causes
The quartet are from Coventry’s Exhall Grange Specialist School. They are currently completing Cadent’s EmployAbility – Let’s Work Together scheme which provides work placements – and ultimately employment opportunities- for young people with disabilities or learning needs.
They gave fences, picnic benches, the playhouse and the mud kitchen a fresh new lick of paint, as well tackling weeding, sweeping and tidying.
Heidi said: “It was nice to be able to do something different. I really enjoyed it.”
John Gulson School headteacher Shaukat Hussain said: “I’d just like to say a big thank you to Cadent and to the young people who have worked so hard. They have absolutely transformed the play area and we are delighted.
“It is initiatives like this, between schools and local organisations, that can really benefit our pupils.”
Laura Barnes, Cadent’s Corporate Social Responsibility Adviser, said: “When Andy Street set down the challenge to businesses we were happy to oblige. Volunteering is one of the main ways we support local communities and we since we started our volunteering programme in August 2018, we’ve benefited 32,000 people across the country.
“It was great to be able to support a local school and enable our interns to experience another facet of what we do.”
And their efforts earned them a pat on the back from Coventry City Councillor Julia Lepoidevin, Shadow Cabinet Member for Children and Young People, who dropped in to see them in action.
Councillor Lepoidevin said: “I think Cadent’s EmployAbility scheme is fantastic. Meeting the young people and seeing how they are benefiting is wonderful. I’m hoping this is something we will be able to do for our looked-after children in the future.”
Cadent’s activities were part of Mayor’s Giving Day, an initiative by West Midlands Mayor Andy Street to celebrate those who support good causes and encourage the region’s businesses to do more.
Mr Street said: "It was fantastic to see Cadent taking the spirit of Mayor’s Giving Day to heart and giving something back to the local community. We want to encourage more companies to think about how they can give more and I would encourage other businesses across the region to get involved.”
ENDS
Picture caption: pictured left to right brushing up the play area are: Mrs Manjit Bassi, Assistant Headteacher of John Gulson Primary School; Mr Shaukat Hussain, Headteacher of John Gulson Primary School; Jamie; Councillor Julia Lepoidevin; Heidi; Daniel and Bailey.