Coming together to celebrate the 'striking' impact of Backup North West
Last Thursday (9 May 2024), we joined colleagues and beneficiaries of Backup Charity - along with several other ‘Guardians’** - to celebrate the striking impact the charity continues to have over a round of ten-pin bowling.
Founded in 1992 (originally as Bolton Young Persons Housing Scheme), colleagues at Backup work to provide safe and stable places for young people aged 16 to 25 to develop their confidence and life skills, enabling independence.
Beyond just accommodation, Backup also supports young people with mental health-related issues, employment, and much more.
**We’ve been a proud ‘Guardian’ of the charity for several years (along with many others across the North West). This means we make an annual contribution to the charity to support their work- and, as we’re a housing association with strong social purpose, we’ve also spared a few of our properties for Backup to use as temporary supported accommodation for the young people they work with.
Between turns, we spoke with some of the young people Backup had supported. Having been lent a helping hand by the charity, they told us they were well on with their college/university studies, in full-time employment, and/or had progressed from Backup’s temporary accommodation and support into their very own homes.
- One 17 year-old told us: “I’ve gained so much independence by learning how to do things myself.”
- Another 16 year-old said: “Backup gave me my own space, time, and the support I needed to work through mental health issues.”
- And another young person told us: “I’ve developed so much confidence, met new friends, and even completed the Prince’s Trust programme, which included First Aid and Food Safety Courses. I’m now living next door to my sister, and I can still rely on support from Backup if I need it.”
You can learn more about Backup’s amazing work at: backup-charity.org.uk/about-us, and if you'd like to see more photos from the evening, tap here to see Backup's post on Facebook.
Work for us:
Does working for an organisation with strong social purpose and close knit links to local/regional charities sound like something you’d be interested in? Backup’s just one of many charities we’re proud to champion as an organisation.
We're currently recruiting for a range of roles at: www.boltonathome.org.uk/jobs.