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People and places
Bright Sparks moves into furniture
Islington's small electrical items project
'Bright Sparks' is expanding into
furniture, white goods and clothes!
Bright Sparks is also getting a new
shop thanks to Islington Council's
housing department and their
contractor Kier, who are working
together to supply the repair and reuse
scheme with unwanted items, left by
tenants moving out of council-owned
properties. Previously these items
would have been sent to landfill so this
saves the council money, helps the
planet - and a local charity who
distributes the repaired items to
families in need.
The repairs are done at a workshop
based in disused garages on one of our
estates where local volunteers can learn
useful new skills such as, basic fault
finding, electrical rewiring, PC repair and
software installation. They can also work
in the ‘Bright Sparks’ shop. Three of the
scheme's volunteers have since got paid
jobs elsewhere this year.
It was an emotional moment when
Howard Garrick phoned his mum to
tell her he was Islington’s Volunteer
of the Year.
Howard first had contact with the
Pillion Trust when he was homeless
and sleeping on the streets of Islington.
At that time he didn't have contact
with his mother but the Pillion Trust
provided him with the help and support
he needed to turn his life around. He
enrolled on college courses and started
volunteering in a drop-in centre.
Howard has since started Pillion Rocks,
where people who have been homeless
play gigs at community events. He also
set up Splash Pillion, which provides a
painting and decorating service to people
Bright Sparks volunteer, Mohammed Issufo
Volunteer Mohammed Issufo said:
“I've always been interested in IT
and a friend told me about Bright
Sparks. I went to the office and
asked if I could be involved with the
computer and networking repairs. I've
been volunteering two days a week
and have learnt a lot. We deal with
all sorts of computers and servers,
so it's really useful and you learn from
other people.”
Islington’s volunteer of the year
who are being re-housed.
Howard was nominated for the
Volunteer of the Year Award due to his
contribution in helping to set up shelters
for homeless people.
Howard really loves the work he does
as a volunteer and said:
“I want to show people they can do
things differently and belong.
“Volunteering has provided me with
some space to be myself and helped me
to create change in the world.”
The Mayor of Islington presented
Howard with the Jury’s Inn Volunteer
of the Year Award at a ceremony
arranged by Voluntary Action Islington
in November - other people and
organisations in the borough were also
recognised for their contributions.
If you are interested in
volunteering, visit
www.vai.org.uk/volunteering
or contact Voluntary Action
Islington on 020 7832 5800, or
at volunteer@vai.org.uk
To get involved or
donate items, email
shop@brightsparksonline.com
or drop into:
Bright Sparks Electrical
225 Seven Sisters Road, N4 2DA
Bright Sparks Reuse Furniture
153 Fortess Road, NW5 1AD
For more information, visit
www.islington.gov.uk/brightsparks
Self Portrait by
Christine Entwisle
Christine Entwisle is one of the
artists working with residents and
community groups in Finsbury and
Archway as part of the 'A Million
Minutes' arts project.
Christine is a performer, writer
and film maker who has been
working with Mind on Archway
Road, experimenting with Super
8mm film to share ideas about
recurring images and thoughts.
For more information,
including the launch
of a new exhibition
programme in January, see
www.amillionminutes.org
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