Fifth Trust News

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A breath of fresh air

04 December 2020


Thanks to a £5,000 grant from the Morrisons Foundation, more students at The Fifth Trust will be able to take part in woodwork sessions.

The money went towards the purchase and installation of a local exhaust ventilation (LEV) system to replace a dust extractor at our Vineyard Wood Shack workshop. The specialist equipment extracts large volumes of airborne contaminants, leaving the air clean enough even for students with health conditions like asthma to work safely.

The Wood Shack is one of the social enterprises operated by The Fifth Trust.  Guided by an expert carpentry instructor, adults with learning disabilities help in the creation of larger wooden items for sale, including our ever-popular log stores, garden benches and dog kennels. Made from locally sourced, sustainable supplies, all items can be made to our own or bespoke designs.

The Fifth Trust CEO Nikki Marley said: “We are extremely grateful for this grant from the Morrisons Foundation. Installing the LEV system has made an enormous improvement to the air quality in the workshop and opened it up to more of our students.

“Like our Vineyard Garden Centre and Café, the Wood Shack serves two important purposes. Firstly, it allows us to offer adults with learning disabilities training and meaningful work experience, and it also produces additional income that we can plough back into the services we provide.

“As a charity, we rely on the support of grant-awarding organisations like the Morrisons Foundation as well as individual donors and fundraisers.”

Find out how you can support the work of The Fifth Trust here.