Midlands Willington Quarry staff including Vanessa Smithson, Quarry Manager, Sue Boyden (who organised the day), Dave Seagrave and Melissa (Sue’s daughter) (all in the pic) took part in a Lend-A-Hand day in Leicester for TwentyTwenty charitable trust. They spent their time clearing out offices and organising their layout.

TwentyTwenty is a charitable trust funded by sponsorships and Lottery funding.  They help young people who are at risk of educational disengagement and/or involvement in antisocial behaviour or crime.

Young people come to TwentyTwenty through schools or councils and various other agencies.  Through their award winning “we can do” Lifeskills Centres in Derby, Loughborough and Leicester, they help young people get a good education to go on into sustainable employment.  Sue and Melissa are current volunteer mentors. They mentor a young person for one year who needs guidance and support of an adult role model.

Vanessa continues: “We attended the Leicester offices and had a great time. We even moved a pool table from one floor to another which took all eight of us, but we did it! We moved settees, tables and chairs, and because the offices are over three floors we had an opportunity to discuss ‘get a grip’ to ensure it was all done safely. We talked through the operation like a toolbox talk before we began.

The teas and coffees kept us going during all the lifting, carrying and assisting. We filled skips and wheelie bins and the transformation was amazing.  They could not believe how much we achieved!”