Heartbeat: Femi and friends road to nowhere provides hope for homeless

November 20, 2019

Visitors to Sandwell General Hospital’s main reception on 28 October would’ve got a bit of a surprise to see members of our organisation pumping bike pedals as fast as their legs could go.

The cycling fundraiser saw Project Support Officer, Femi Kuforiji and his colleagues taking on a 136-mile static bike cycle. That’s the equivalent of travelling from West Bromwich to London on static bikes!

Femi works within the Widening Participation team. Collectively, the team aims to provide work experience and enrichment opportunities for young people that aren’t in employment or education. They are behind the Live & Work apprenticeship. This tackles youth homelessness by providing work opportunities within the Trust and accommodation in the nurses’ quarters close to Sandwell Hospital.

The cycling effort raised £949 for Your Trust Charity and St Basils. The funds will go towards supporting the homeless in and around the Sandwell area via the Live & Work project.

“Live and Work offers young people who are at risk of homelessness affordable accommodation and an apprenticeship within the hospital,” explained Lawrence Kelly, Project Manager for the Widening Participation team. “We’re also expanding the programme to increase capacity. So we’re going to be creating a youth village coming soon in early 2020.”