Young People & Children First receives 'amazing' donation from IKEA Reading

Items will help charity kit out houses for care leavers and homeless young people

IT wasn’t a flat (pack) start to February for a West Berkshire charity that received a donation from IKEA Reading.

Young People & Children First had a “fantastic start to the week” thanks to the Swedish furniture store in Calcot.

The charity, based at Greenham Business Park, provides a home and support to young people who come from a care environment or who are homeless.

Most have suffered trauma, such as abuse or neglect, and more than half are suffering from a diagnosed mental health illness.

The charity owns two houses for young people in need and is close to acquiring a third to help meet a rising demand.

YP&CF chief executive Tracy Underwood said that IKEA marketing specialist Eleanor Pragnell contacted it as they wanted to help a local charity that supported care leavers and the homeless.

Mrs Underwood said she was amazed as items kept coming out in 10 trolleys, including a dishwasher, a fridge freezer, towels, rugs, curtains, cups and plates last Monday.

“They have really helped us with our third house,” she said, “It was everything but the kitchen sink.”

Storage company easyStorage provided a driver and van to the charity for free.

“We couldn’t have done it without them,” Mrs Underwood said.

“It was a marvelous start to the week.

“We now have a really strong relationship with IKEA Reading,

“To say we are overwhelmed with the generosity of both IKEA and easyStorage is an understatement.

“These goods will be used in both our current houses for our young people and also our new house, due to open in the next few months.”

Mrs Underwood said that the charity had looked at 15 houses in the Newbury and Thatcham area and was “getting closer and closer” to getting its third house.

She said that the charity’s two Thatcham properties, Rebecca House and Cornerstone, remained full and “when we do get a vacancy we have a new resident a week later”.

Mrs Underwood said that YP&CF had a brilliant Christmas as part of the Greenham Trust double match funding day, smashing its target of £5,000 in 24 hours.

“That’s really helped. We have gone from strength to strength,” she added.

“During coronavirus and lockdowns we have continued to provide a face-to-face service to our young people.

“I’m really proud of my staff that we continued to do that because our young people have needed that face-to-face everyday.

“I look for every funding opportunity available.

“If I can find the money we go above and beyond for our young people.

“We provide whatever we can for them to help them with their mental health.

“Christmas was especially hard because they had all made plans to be with someone they loved and three days before we were told that couldn’t happen.”

She said that the blow was softened by Waitrose Newbury providing Christmas dinner for the charity.

Mrs Underwood said that 57 per cent of the young people in the charity’s care were in full-time work and 40 per cent in full time education.