A group of young people have renovated the YMCA allotments in Barnsley as part of their Prince’s Trust course.

The current cohort of young chose the YMCA Barnsley community allotments as their community project which they completed as part of the Prince’s Trust Team Programme.

The group worked hard in all weather conditions to clear paths, repair growing beds and refurbish a seating area before handing the allotments back to the YMCA at a special ceremony on Friday 27 October, an event which was also attended by the Chief Fire Officer.

Andrea Battye, YMCA Barnsley Youth Work Manager said: “We are very grateful and greatly appreciate the work of the young people from the Prince’s Trust who have shown impressive resilience and commitment in the midst of often very poor weather.

“They have achieved an impressive amount in a short period. The feel of the space and accessibility are much improved and will make a huge difference to our own young people and the other community groups that use this fabulous space.

“We also wish to thank everyone who donated to the appeal and supported the project and also South Yorkshire Fire Service who supported the young people in their work.”

Rebecca Dore, Prince’s Trust Team Leader Assistant said: “We are very proud of our young people and all they accomplished whilst working on YMCA allotments.

“From getting muddy and drenched in the rain to weeding and adding wood chippings, bricklaying, putting up solar lights and handing over the keys to YMCA – they have enjoyed every minute.

“We are huge advocates for young people’s mental health, so we were excited to work with YMCA who are renowned for their support of youth engagement and mental health.

“We would like to thank the YMCA for giving the young people the creative freedom, opportunity and space to learn new skills, to learn about the environment and have fun.

“I’d also like to thank The Range for their generous donations and Wickes for their discount. These companies have played a huge part in making the project possible for the young people and have made amazing contributions to the community.

“We also want to say a big thank you to Greggs and Dominos for donating food for the young people whilst they were working hard in the pouring rain.”

The Team programme is a 12 week development course that gives young people a chance to learn vital life skills and earn qualifications to help them into work.

The course, delivered by South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue in partnership with the Prince’s Trust and Barnsley College, runs from a new purpose-built Team Room at Barnsley Fire Station.

As well as the community project, the young people also complete a residential in the Peak District and work placements throughout the 12 weeks before a final presentation in Barnsley Town Hall in front of friends and family.

The next course is set to run in January and you can register your interest now!

Just email princestrust@syfire.gov.uk to find out more.

Young people across South Yorkshire are being given the opportunity to change their lives thanks to the county’s police and fire services.

South Yorkshire Police and South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue will once again be teaming up to deliver the ‘life-changing’ Prince’s Trust Team Programme course later this month (September 2023) and will also run in January and March next year.

This is a course for people who are between 16 and 25-years-old and not currently in work or full-time education.

Lasting 12 weeks in total, the programme gives young people the chance to meet new friends, gain personal confidence and develop a wide range of life-skills.

Importantly, it involves work placements that give the youngsters valuable experience and contacts – with lots of previous participants landing meaningful work afterwards.

Rhian Oxley,  currently team leader for the South Yorkshire Prince’s Trust Programme, said: “Over the years these courses have changed hundreds of young lives. There is so much to gain from it in terms of news skills, new friends and vital work experience.

“On top of all that – it’s a lot of fun!”

The Team Programme is full-time, 9:30am – 3:30pm, Monday – Friday at Barnsley Fire Station, and is completely free and will not affect any benefits.

Feel inspired? You can register your interest here

In 2017, Becky Dore’s mental health declined when she moved away from home to study for a specialist health care degree at university.

After leaving university, Becky was in a ‘dark place’ and was unsure what steps to take. She knew she wanted to work within the community and support people but didn’t know where to start. She felt lost.

Becky, who lives in Sheffield, then found the Prince’s Trust Team Programme where she enjoyed a full programme of study and work experience opportunities that have ultimately led her to gain her dream role as a Community Safety Administrator at South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue.

Now aged 25, Becky said that when she left university her confidence was low, and she didn’t know what to do. She felt helpless. But praises the Prince’s Trust Team Programme for turning her life around and getting her on the right path.

Becky said: “When I moved away for university, my mental health was really affected, and I knew it wasn’t right for me. They offered me no support at all, so I went home.

“After feeling disappointed and let down, I didn’t know what to do next. But then I found the Prince’s Trust Team Programme and they gave me the confidence to refocus myself to get on track.

“They encouraged me to be independent again and inspired me to work hard to achieve my goals. As well as completing theory and educational sessions, I also completed work experience in childcare and a school as I always wanted to work in the community.

“Before and during Prince’s Trust, I was dealing with many struggles and personal experiences that have shaped me into the person I am today. I struggled with my confidence and struggled to apply myself to my best ability. I have now learned from my dark times and have found the strength to move on from them.

“I feel that John and the team leaders supported me in the best way possible and that the Prince’s Trust prepared me for life more than school, college, or university.”

Becky praises the course as ‘amazing and life changing’ and says the scheme has had a valuable impact on her life.

She said: “I can appreciate the value of participating in this amazing, life-changing course. It gave me so many opportunities and it has had a crucial and valuable impact on my life that has stayed with me till current day.

“The Prince’s Trust helped to develop my prospects and ambition and it gave me the confidence and insight into pursuing further careers.

“I made great friends and will always remember it as one of the best times I’ve had in my life.

Becky directly credits the Prince’s Trust Team Programme as the reason behind securing her role in the fire service.

“From attending workshops, gaining my first aid certificate, going on the residential, leading and completing the community project, undertaking work experience, graduating, and giving a well-applauded speech – I have used the course for many job interviews.

“After achieving so much and overcoming so many challenges on the course, I believe it is this what led me on the right path into the fire service.”

Becky highly recommends the course and encourages other people to enrol as it opens a vast range of opportunities in the real world.

“The Prince’s Trust was the first time I felt anyone had believed in me. I felt a huge inspiration from the leaders not only due to their efforts but due to the service’s reputation and I felt encouraged and trusted to be independent.

“I developed a lot from the course provisions and especially the one-to-one support I received from the leaders, through their encouragement and confidence in me.

“I have always been very passionate about the Prince’s Trust and advocate it for young people to take part in and to make the most of all the opportunities they provide.”

Are you 16-25 and inspired by Becky’s story? You can join more than 200 people who have more successfully completed the programme and you too can go on to achieve a great future.

The Prince’s Trust Team Programme is a 12-week personal development course for unemployed 16- to 25-year-olds, offering work experience, qualifications, practical skills, and community projects.

Individuals will gain new skills and qualifications, mix with new people and make new friends, get help with job-hunting and CV writing, and most importantly a big boost to their confidence and to gain a real sense of achievement.

The Team Programme is full-time, 9:30am – 3:30pm, Monday – Friday at Barnsley Fire Station, and is completely free and will not affect any benefits.

For more information contact princestrust@syfire.gov.uk

We have a number of station open days and car washes planned this year.

Below is a list of all the current stations holding an event.

Open Days

There are currently no open days planned.

Car Washes

• The car wash at Barnsley station (Saturday 21 October) has been cancelled due to the adverse weather

All charity car washes are in aid of The Fire Fighters Charity.

Calls for building owners to speed up fire safety remediation work have been backed by the county’s fire service.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue supports a joint statement from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and regulatory bodies which warns building owners that they need to get on with remediation work or face enforcement action.

“The DLUHC statement- issued jointly by the government, Building Safety Regulator, the Local Government Association and the National Fire Chiefs Council, says:

“Building owners have always been responsible for fixing fire safety defects in their properties.

“Even where funding for remediation work has been agreed by the government, some building owners are still stalling – preventing vital safety work from starting and damaging residents’ quality of life.

“Whilst we are pleased that a number of landlords have done the right thing and remediated their buildings, it is unacceptable that too many are still failing to make their buildings safe.

“We are united in our determination to ensure building owners comply with the law and remediate their defective buildings without delay. Local authorities and fire and rescue services are already taking enforcement against building owners who are dragging their feet. Since 2018, local authorities have taken enforcement action on over 200 high rise buildings; and fire and rescue services have also served over 250 enforcement notices. But there is still more to do.

“We welcome the legal powers provided by the Building Safety Act 2022 and remain committed to working together and supporting local authorities and fire and rescue services to use the full range of their enforcement powers to full effect. The Building Safety Regulator will start enforcing building safety in residential buildings above 18 metres or seven storeys in spring 2024. Those who have yet to remediate can expect early attention from the Building Safety Regulator.

“Building owners who are continuing to stall should know they are running out of time if they are to avoid being forced to act. With the implementation of the Building Safety Act’s new building safety regime and the imminent launch of the Building Safety Regulator, we are tightening the regulatory screw. Regulators will not hesitate to take enforcement action against building owners if they do not comply with their legal duties. Together, we will make sure there are consequences for building owners who fail to do the right thing and that those responsible make their buildings safe.”

Four new fire engines are responding to emergencies in South Yorkshire for the first time, in the first stage of a multi-million pound investment by the county’s fire and rescue service.

The £280,000 vehicles are greener, cleaner and more reliable than South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue’s existing fire engine fleet, which is nearing the end of its operational life.

The first four fire engines are to be based at Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham and Central (Sheffield) fire stations- with a further 24 fire vehicles on course to arrive over the next five years.

Deputy Chief Fire Officer Tony Carlin, said: “The new vehicles represent the very latest best practice for the fire and rescue sector nationally- demonstrating our commitment to providing South Yorkshire’s firefighters with the best equipment possible.

“Cleaner engines and better fuel efficiency support our sustainability objectives, whilst wipe down cabs illustrate how seriously we take the issue of fire contaminants potentially affecting our frontline crews.

“Importantly, we will be keeping hold of some of our older vehicles as spares, as these new fire engines come into services. This will increase the resilience of our 999 response, should we face periods of exceptional demand- as we did during the heatwave last July.”

The new fire engines have been built by Yorkshire-based Angloco, with an all-aluminium body, Scania chassis and 320 horsepower engines.

They are fitted with Euro emission standard engines and are more fuel efficient than the existing fleet- thereby reducing their environmental impact.

The cabs are wipe clean- reducing the risk of toxic contaminants to firefighters.

Godiva pumps draw water from hydrants and vehicles are fitted with 22mm hose reels with selectable flow branches- allowing firefighters to get more than 230 litres of water per minute onto a fire.

New battery powered cutting gear is carried on each appliance- with the equipment more powerful and faster to use.

The delivery of the fire engines was delayed by a few months because of global supply chain issues affecting the vehicle manufacturing sector, but the remaining vehicles will now be delivered in batches of four in the coming months and years.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue has a fleet of 27 full-sized, frontline fire engines, spread across its 21 fire stations.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue (SYFR) has been recognised by the Ministry of Defence for its commitment to the armed forces community.

SYFR has been named a Silver award-winning organisation under the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS), delivered locally by the Reserve Forces & Cadets Association for Yorkshire & Humber.

The ERS consists of three award levels – bronze, silver, gold. Each level indicates an organisation’s commitment and involvement to offer support programmes that align with the scheme’s framework.

The main objective of the scheme is for employers to endorse their employees who are military personnel (current, former and associated) and enable development opportunities that support their current or past duty to the forces with their civilian employment. The scheme also encourages overall support of the general armed forces community.

Silver ERS Award winners will be celebrated regionally at an awards event in York in September.

South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Group Manager Mike Anthony, said: “At South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue we recognise the invaluable contribution members of the Armed Forces Community make. As a service we want to promote the fact we are a Armed Forces friendly organisation and being awarded the Silver award further celebrates all of the positive action we are taking in support of the Armed Forces community.”

Major General Marc Overton, Assistant Chief of Defence Staff (Reserves and Cadets) says: “I would like to thank and congratulate the recipients of this year’s Employer Recognition Scheme Silver Awards. A Silver award recognises the fantastic efforts of employers throughout the UK who have both elevated their communities under the Armed Forces Covenant and provided actual benefits to the Armed Forces Community. The winners should all be proud of their life-changing impact and fresh opportunities they are providing to our Reservists, veterans and their families. The number of winners this year yet again shows that the Armed Forces family talent pool is also providing tangible business benefits.”

ENDS