A community rescue charity in Crieff is empowering young people to lead efforts in making a difference to their local community and environment by learning how repair and reuse items and stop them being discarded and ending up as waste in landfills.

With the help of over £550,000 of funding from The National Lottery, Remake run a wide range of projects with the aim of inspiring people to reuse as much as possible including a community tool library and repair and reuse workshops.  

One of the those spearheading the efforts is Freya Geddes, who is playing a pivotal role in Remake’s new programme which will develop new donation points and reuse projects. 

And the 22-year-old credits the charity with helping her while she helps others.  

“I really enjoyed being a volunteer and always wanted to work in the charity sector, so when I saw this come up, I thought I would push myself,” said Freya, who works as a Project Manager.  

“I went for it, and I got it.I have four different projects that I help to run. Two are events-based, a monthly repair café and a monthly climate café. A lot of work goes into where we are going to have it, promoting it, and reaching out to volunteers.

“I also work in youth engagement; I go to a local high school once a week to talk about climate change and soon I will be running a carbon impact study to help us measure the carbon emissions we are saving.”  

Geddes is relatively new to Crieff, having moved to the area with her parents while being at university, and she credits her new role for helping her bed into her new surroundings. 

“It’s really rewarding as it benefits me as well as benefitting others,” she added.  

“It has helped me meet new people. This was the ideal job to get coming out of University  because it has thrown me in the deep end, and I have learned so much. 

“It has massively boosted my confidence. I was always quite shy, and I would get really nervous meeting new people. 

“Sometimes as a young person, you can get imposter syndrome and think you are not qualified for what you do, so it’s helped me break through that. I have a lot of pride in what I do.

“It’s that confidence to meet with new people and be enthusiastic about the work I do.” 

Figures released today show that more than £3 Billion of National Lottery good causes funding has been invested over the last decade into projects like Remake  which specifically support and develop children and young people.

Over the past 10 years, this huge investment which has had a positive life-changing impact on children and young people across the UK , has supported over 58,000 projects which has helped them learn new skills, develop their communities as well giving them the tools to enhance their lives and the lives of others.

Thanks to National Lottery players, the funding is providing greater opportunities in life for many children and young people across the environment, arts, education, community, heritage and sport – with a big proportion of the money helping to connect young people with their environment and teaching them how to protect it.  

The environment is an issue close to the hearts of young people. Many of the volunteers in our communities who seek to drive change and educate people about how to look after our environment are the younger generation. The National Lottery distributors are dedicated to helping young people continue that passion through funding incredible projects across the UK to help them unlock their potential.

And Geddes added: “I was working in hospitality, and I didn’t feel that it was very rewarding and then I got this role. As soon as I started it, I loved it. Working in the charity sector is something I want to continue in. I just really enjoy helping people.”  

National Lottery players have contributed over £3 billion to projects that support children and young people in the last 10 years within the arts, education, environment, health, heritage, sport, and voluntary projects across the UK; see the difference it’s making near you at www.lotterygoodcauses.org.uk