Brampton Community Centre has been given a makeover after Carlisle College students mucked in to lend a hand.

As part of their work experience Painting and Decorating students from Carlisle College spent 4 days volunteering their time to give the Brampton Community Centre a much-needed facelift.

All paint and materials were kindly donated by local company Thomas Graham & Sons to freshen up the inside of the Centre in a real joint effort.

Not only the Centre was transformed, the project also had a massive positive impact on the students, who gained confidence and new valuable skills to face the real working world in the future.

Brampton Community Centre is a registered charity and an important hub in Brampton.

During lockdown, the local community was left without a place to gather, and activities and events were sadly cancelled. After a long wait, the Centre is now planning to finally open the doors for the public in late July after all restrictions are lifted.

Community Centre Manager James Burke said: "We are thrilled to have received the support of both Carlisle College and their Level 1 Painting & Decorating students in helping to revitalise some of the internal areas at Brampton Community Centre, this has not only helped to support the Community Centre but has also provided the students with valuable hands-on experience and is a shining example of community minded partnership working, that will hopefully continue, in one form or another, long into the future while being beneficial to all involved, we would also like to thank Thomas Graham and their staff for helping bring this project to life by generously donating the required materials to make this happen."

Heather Bendle, Marketing Supervisor at Thomas Graham & Sons said: “We have loved working with Carlisle College, and this was wonderful opportunity to give back to the local community, something which is very important to Thomas Graham, we like to help where we can, it's great to contribute to the re-vamp of the Community Centre and hopefully many gatherings, events, classes etc can take place in a brighter place and give everyone something to look forward to after such a challenging time."

Carlisle College Work Experience Coordinator Sarah Jackson added: “This is a fantastic opportunity for Carlisle College to not only give back to the local community but also give our students some meaningful work experience.

Many work placements were cancelled or postponed due to COVID-19 and it’s just amazing to end the academic year with such a great project, we would like to encourage other businesses and charities to come forward and speak to our Work Experience Team about possible future projects and placements.”