A GROUP of Rhos-on-Sea students have completed a business plan for a Denbigh charity for disaffected young people involved in anti-social behaviour.

The Level 3 students at Coleg Llandrillo produced the plan for the Youth Shedz charity base in Denbigh. The objective was to help the charity become sustainable in the long term. Criteria addressed included finances, resources, team-working skills, legal issues and marketing.

The charity, which is based at the Hwb Dinbych community centre, is a youth homelessness and development project that concentrates on helping disadvantaged young people in Denbigh get off the streets.

It started two years ago, when six homeless young people teamed up with life skills coach Scott Jenkinson to tackle anti-social behaviour by providing a safe space for young people to develop social relationships, promote positive mental health, learn employability skills and increase physical well-being.

Grwp Cynefin provided the charity with a double garage to turn into their own workspace, today called the Youth Shedz. The garage now hosts programmes for disconnected young people.

The Business students involved were: Chloe Stephenson, 19, from Penrhyn Bay; Gayan Aponsu, 20, from Rhos-on-Sea; Adam Free, 17, from Llanfairfechan; Sion Foster, 19, from Colwyn Bay; Az Haque, 18, from Old Colwyn and Sapphire Hughes, 18, from Old Colwyn.

The project started in Denbigh in 2017, and has since opened more Shedz in Abergele, Colwyn Bay and Kinmel Bay.

The students initially met up with Scott Jenkinson, who is the co-founder of Youth Shedz. For many years Scott was continually asking for something to be done for disadvantaged young people in Denbigh, which eventually evolved into the charity.

Scott Jenkinson said: “The ethos of Young Shedz is for the youngsters to do things for themselves. The partnership with the college’s business students has been brilliant: youngsters helping youngsters! It was especially pleasing to have the students at Youth Shedz when the trustees visited.

"They definitely helped with us recently receiving £65,000, as the trustees were keen to see a professional business plan and our plans for sustainable growth.

“The young people at Youth Shedz were very impressed with the students and felt truly supported. A lot of them are now talking about going to college, which is fantastic. We hope this is the start of a long, fruitful relationship…the students are now honourable shedderz!”

Denbigh Youth Shedz, which was set up by young people working with Grwp Cynefin’s support service Gorwel, recently won the High Sheriff’s award for voluntary organisations at Glyndwr University and was also shortlisted as a finalist for the UK Housing Awards.