Building a future for the young people of Surrey!

Staff at Willmott Dixon’s offices near Esher, Surrey made a huge difference to the lives of young people in Surrey and South London today when they handed over a donation of £30,000 to small local charity SATRO (www.satro.org.uk).

John Waterman,Willmott Dixon MD, Margaret Royle, SATRO, Gill & Paul Coleman, DL, SATRO Trustee, Dr Beccy Bowden, SATRO CEO, Rob Riddelsdell, SATRO, David Reeve, SATRO Trustee

SATRO works with volunteers from companies all over Surrey to inspire young people about their future careers. In academic year 11-12 their programmes reached around 15,000 young people, involving 850 volunteers from around 600 companies in the region.

Many people at Willmott Dixon have volunteered on SATRO’s programmes over the years – mentoring, business games, problem solving challenges, construction challenges – you name it, they do it! In 2011-2012, 22 members of staff gave a total of 234 hours of time to support and inspire 3,345 young people in this way.

In 2011, when Willmott Dixon staff heard that all SATRO’s government funding had been cut and the future of its work was threatened, they stepped in to nominate SATRO as their Charity of the Year. On 29^th June – in some of the worst ‘summer’ weather imaginable around 49 members of staff competed in the Three Peaks Challenge to raise money for SATRO. Over the weekend they climbed Ben Nevis (1344m), Scafell (978m) & Snowdon (1085m).

In Surrey between 800-1000 young people are NEET (not in Education, Employment or Training) at any one time  and youth unemployment is at record levels – in Surrey in February 2012 it was 24% (3,025) young people between 18 -24, and many of these had been unemployed for more than six months.

Much of SATRO’s work, in particular its fleet of Mobile Construction Classrooms, is directly related to young people who are disengaged with the education process, sometimes with behavioural difficulties, with low self-esteem and aspirations, and at risk of exclusion or becoming NEET, (Not in Education, Employment or Training). In the academic year 2011/12 SATRO’s ‘Construction Buses’ reached over 430 young people from 43 schools and youth organisations in Surrey - 90.9% of our students gained a full qualification in Construction – this is an amazing achievement when you consider that on joining our programme many of those students had typically not enjoyed their time in the education system – too often they had come to believe that they are failures and that it is ‘not worth trying’. Young people leaving SATRO’s programme at its completion go on to join college courses, apprenticeships or employment – having discovered for themselves that they have a real talent and can succeed at something.

Willmott Dixon’s outstanding contribution will be used to support the on-going costs of SATRO’s Construction Bus programme – providing materials, replacing failing equipment, repairing the vans when they need it – and replacing the vehicles as the need arises too.

Dr Beccy Bowden, CEO of SATRO, said ‘The contribution raised by Willmott Dixon staff will ensure that hundreds of young people on our mobile construction classrooms will learn new skills and discover that they are able to succeed and really make something of their lives. This is a huge difference to make to a young persons’ life – and to society, and Willmott Dixon staff should be incredibly proud of all the help they have given SATRO’.