Concrete Rose Collective Summer Drinks Reception
I was honoured to be invited to attend the inaugural Concrete Rose Collective summer drinks reception in the beautiful grounds of Magdalene College, Cambridge last evening. The event celebrated the great progress made thus far by the collective, helped by its staff, supporters, partners and volunteers.
As well as hearing a progress report by Concrete Rose, the event provided a great opportunity to meet others supporting this vital work.
Concrete Rose is a Christian-ethos CIC that both works to deliver and to equip others to deliver first-class care and support for the most vulnerable young people. Its Room to Spare initiative provides supported lodgings placements, through a network of hosts, for young people aged 16-21 leaving home or care. This age group are at a critical period in their lives and are at particular risk of homelessness, with care leavers making up about 25% of the homeless population, and of falling into crime, with 40% of the UK prison population being care leavers. Concrete Rose’s initiative, coupled with their mentoring and budgeting support services, is having a real impact on the lives of these most vulnerable young people.
At Laptops4Learning, we support Concrete Rose with technology, providing them with laptops for the young people whom they are placing in supported lodgings, Their great work aligns completely with our desire to get devices out to all those who suffer from digital exclusion - access to digital can make a huge difference to the life-chances of young people.
A big thank you to Concrete Rose for the lovely summer drinks event. I very much applaud the fantastic work you are doing to improve the lives of vulnerable young people in Cambridgeshire, and look forward to continuing to work with you.
Sue Gowling ~ 13/07/22
