Client login
Password

News & Media > Community Investment

13:05:2010

May Gurney donation will boost skills of Exeter volunteers

A charity working with young people in Devon has won vital funding from May Gurney to provide the skills needed to get a job through volunteering.

The May Gurney Foundation has donated £5,000 to The Ivy Project, which provides encouragement, motivation and support for people in Exeter aged 12-25 years.

The Ivy Project works with young people from a diverse range of backgrounds, particularly those at risk from social exclusion.

Dan Kjellgren, general manager at The Ivy Project, said: “This donation is invaluable to us and will enable staff to aid personal development through training.

“The Ivy Project has a successful track record of helping young people into work. Volunteers experience a huge sense of achievement through the recognition they receive. We’re using the funds to pay for staff salaries, volunteers’ expenses and training costs.”

Janine Daynes, chair of The May Gurney Foundation, said: “Our Foundation supports community based charities and good causes which help young people and the long-term unemployed get into work.

“Helping young volunteers to gain essential skills for the world of work will build valuable experience on their CVs as well as helping to benefit the community around them. Supporting people in the local community will help them to gain the confidence to make a positive impact to their own lives as well as the lives of other people around them.”

Other Devon organisations benefiting from the latest round of May Gurney Foundation donations are the Exeter Community Transport Association, Hele Hub CIC, and Freedom Social Projects.

Click here to read more about May Gurney's involvement with the communities in which it operates.