Company volunteers brighten youth charity space

A team from a Bowerhill-based business picked up their paint brushes and donned their overalls to help local charity 4Youth revamp their premises. 

Employees from Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems UK spent the day decorating at the Canberra Centre on Spa Road to make the space feel fun and welcoming. They also donated paint, paintbrushes, rollers and decorations including pictures and cushions.

The company, which employs around 470 people at its headquarters in Westinghouse Way, has a charity committee that chooses local organisations to support throughout the year. The team chose to help 4Youth in recognition of its work supporting young people in the area.

4Youth (South West), previously known as Young Melksham, hosts a range of activities for young people. It also has separate counselling rooms for private one-to-one support through its TeenTalk service, as well as a sensory room.

Gary John Davies from Knorr-Bremse said, “4Youth is like a modern-day youth centre where young people can go to chill out and chat, grab a snack from the tuck shop, play games, do arts and crafts or play basketball on the court outside.

“We are keen to support young people and recognise that growing up can be tough, especially with the pressures of social media. On the volunteering day our colleagues focused on painting and redecorating; it’s a big space and there was a lot to do! We all really enjoyed it and would love to return in the future to help out some more.”

Charity director at 4Youth (South West), Marie Gondlach, said, “The day was full of energy and teamwork and the difference made in just a few hours was remarkable. We’re incredibly grateful to Knorr-Bremse for investing a staff charity day.”

Knorr-Bremse Rail Systems UK is part of the Knorr-Bremse Group, the global market leader in braking systems and other mission-critical systems for rail and commercial vehicles.