A calming new look for Blackburn homelessness charity
Together with the Blackburn Round Table we’ve repainted a local resource centre for young homeless people in Blackburn – bringing some colour into the lives of some of the most vulnerable people in the community.
Nightsafe is a Blackburn-based charity providing holistic services to homeless and vulnerable young people aged 16-24 years. As well as offering emergency accommodation and supported housing, Nightsafe operates a day centre, Platform 5, where young people can drop in to relax, take a shower, do laundry, or speak to a counsellor or advisor one-to-one.
When Nightsafe decided to repaint Platform 5, we quickly stepped in to donate the paint, while a team of volunteers from Crown joined forces with local charitable organisation Blackburn Round Table by signing up to help redecorate the centre.
The young people using the centre selected the colours themselves, opting for calming shades of blue, green and pink to help promote a relaxed environment. Eight volunteers spent three days repainting the hallway, the main communal area, bathrooms and private one-to-one room.
Commenting on the redecoration, Nightsafe’s CEO, Jan Larkin, said: “Platform 5 is a vital space for helping young vulnerable people gain a foothold in the rehousing system, whilst accessing a host of other services – whether that’s counselling or just somewhere safe and warm to spend the day.
“The refurbishment has improved the centre no end, and as the young people we work with were able to choose the colour scheme themselves, they really feel they have a stake in the place now. I’m very grateful to both Crown Paints and Blackburn Round Table for all their help in making this a reality.”
John Vause, our store sales development and trainer, said: “As one of the largest employers in this region, Crown is a big part of the community and we’re always looking for ways that we can give something back. It was a privilege for me personally to work alongside the Round Table to help refresh Nightsafe’s Platform 5 centre – it looks fantastic and I’m sure that the young people who use the centre will be very pleased with the end result too. It’s proof of how colour can help to create a sense of community.”