Monkey Workshops near Bury St Edmunds is on its way to reaching £190,000 fundraising target for new campus to help more youngsters

An organisation that helps build young people’s confidence through mentoring alongside gaining new skills is looking to open a new campus.

Monkey Workshops, based at Bradfield St George, near Bury St Edmunds, has been growing ever since it started in founder Keith Colley’s Rougham garage in 2020.

Now there are plans for another campus to add even more workshops to what they already offer for harder-to-reach youngsters aged 11 to 16, many of whom are not in mainstream education.

Phil Shelley, chair of Monkey Workshops, said their fund-raising appeal for £190,000 for another campus had reached over £100,000, with more money coming in.

The team has been searching for a site, which will be in the Bury area, and they plan to launch the new campus this September.

Currently, there are five workshops in the skill areas of woodwork, bike mechanics, art, music and growing plants and the plan is the additional five workshops will cover tech, cooking, more advanced woodwork and mechanical skills, and hair and beauty.

Mr Shelley said they would be able to help over 100 youngsters a week by doubling their number of workshops.

“These children will have vocational training and mentoring and they will get that for a number of hours and sessions,” he said.

“What we are helping to do – and we appear to be getting some success – is to get kids back into school and college: full social inclusion for these children.”

Monkey Workshops, which has just become a charity after being a community interest company (CIC), takes children from a number of local schools and alternative education providers.

Speaking of the last three years, Mr Shelley said: “It’s been fantastic in every way. Fantastic because of the progress we are making with the kids, and doing it with more of them.

“It is amazing what they are able to do; kids who have been out of school for several years who literally are terrified of walking through the doors.”

• Email info@monkeyworkshops.co.uk or visit www.monkeyworkshops.co.uk Monkey Workshops is looking for more mentors and donations of money and equipment. They are also open to suggestions for a new campus site.