Nevill Long donation proves a recipe for success

Interior systems specialists Nevill Long have supplied a winning ingredient to a training centre for youngsters with special educational needs.

The distributor’s Birmingham branch has donated 110m2 of Armstrong Ceilings’ Mezzanine DL 100 mineral tiles for a new café in response to a request for one hour fire resistant tiles from Kingsbury Training Centre in Erdington.

The tiles have been mounted on an Armstrong metal grid in the café that will provide training, work placements and employment for catering and hospitality students. Part of a listed building also containing workshops and classrooms, the café’s 40 covers are open to the public as well as the centre’s student diners.

The training centre is a not-for-profit company formed in 1981 to support the positive progression of young people in north Birmingham who come from disadvantaged communities.

Many of the 14 to 16-year-olds are excluded from school or were previously not in education, employment or training but are encouraged to stay in education or progress onto employment through life and social skills development. The functional skills courses have exam windows every month to increase their chances of meeting their goals before the end of the school year.

Kingsbury fundraiser Bob Candlin said: “Had Nevill Long not stepped in we would have had to have paid for the ceiling tiles with money we don’t have. Without them we would not be in this position so we are very grateful.”

Nevill Long managing director Dave Bonner said: “We were delighted to be able to help these young people make the most of the opportunities available to them through Kingsbury Training Centre.”

ENDS

Pictured from left: Student Nathan Meade, fundraiser Bob Candlin and student Kyle Brown.