FIVE plucky Basingstoke teenagers handed over the keys to new resident Natalie Gadd, after renovating her new home as part of this year’s ‘Get With’ youth project. 

‘Get With’ is a summer programme run by Sentinel and Everest Community College which invites children/teenagers from the local community to try out different activities – from sport and music to DIY and building works. 

The lads helped bring the three-bedroom house in Milton Close, Popley, up to scratch with a new kitchen and redecoration, under the supervision of Sentinel Housing Association’s maintenance contractor MITIE. The month-long project was just one of 40 free activities on offer as part of the ‘Get With’ programme 09. 

One of the lads who took part, James Gyles said: “It’s been really interesting, and I’ve learnt loads of new things about DIY. When we started, I never thought we’d get finished on time, but the most rewarding bit was seeing it all come together.” 

MITIE Partnering Manager Richard Bartram added; “It can be quite challenging to get young people interested in construction, however during the “Get With” DIY project we have seen some very committed hard working young people with a very positive attitude towards the work they were involved in. The project at Milton Close, Popley was not only completed on time, but also to a very good standard. The youths involved should all be very proud of what they have achieved.” 

Sentinel Neighbourhood Manager Melissa Chapman added: “There’s a lot of fear and misunderstanding about young people today, but we’ve been overwhelmed with the positive attitude of the kids on all ‘Get With’ activities. We hope to add more interesting and unusual activities to the programme for next year, and hope more local organisations want to join us.” 

‘Get With’ was set up by Sentinel in 2005 and this year saw over 500 local young people take part in a host of free activities, from cookery, street dancing, cycling proficiency, car mechanics, and a local X-Factor talent search. 

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For further information, contact: 

Emilie Aiglon, Marketing Manager, MITIE Group PLC
T: 020 7022 8427, M: 07917 521295, E: emilie.aiglon@mitie.co.uk

Notes for editors

What is MITIE?
We’re the strategic outsourcing and asset management company.

What does that mean in practice? Providing everything from strategic consultancy, to world-class delivery on the ground. From long-term infrastructure planning, to facilities management, property and engineering services. Our strategic input can add value at the highest level, while our practical management expertise can save customers money and maximise their returns.

At the same time, it’s not just what we do, but how we do it that makes us different. Our people are passionate about what they do, committed to working in partnership with their clients, and will always look for a fresh answer to a new challenge.

We work with our clients in three ways; some take full advantage of our whole range of expertise by buying the whole suite, others may only need one aspect of what we do:

Strategy and consultancy

+ Facilities and project management

+ Service delivery

In other words, we think, we manage, and we deliver.

The thinking phase is all about finding strategic answers to long-term challenges about assets and resources. Facilities and project management puts those plans in place, and our unrivalled range of services is one of the best in the business.

There’s a lot more to MITIE than you probably think. We’re a big company with big ambitions - a leading FTSE 250 support services business, with more than 50,000+ people, revenues in excess of £1.5bn, and a reputation for being the best.