The Halfway House on The Wrekin has been taken over by the Yellow Ribbon Community Chaplaincy, after it wone money to buy it.
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00:00 We're all part of Yellow Ribbon and Rhys and I founded it in 2013 to support people leaving prison.
00:06 We really wanted to see people get a good positive chance on release.
00:11 We've run a cafe before in Shrewsbury at the Riverside.
00:14 Obviously we've come out of that and now we've got this amazing opportunity to help bring this property to life.
00:21 It is a huge task but it really is the people that set it in running.
00:26 Jenny Joy and Jackie Seymour, early members of a community group that wanted to see this asset crowdfunded.
00:36 Jenny had set up a cafe here and run it really well and put up the pavilion.
00:42 There was so much potential and I'm a local resident and I heard all this.
00:49 It was pointed out that Yellow Ribbon could potentially buy it and I came up and saw it at close hand.
00:56 It's always been such a wonderful place to come to and you want it to come to life for the community.
01:03 So many other charities support us and want it to come to life because it's such a wide breadth of things you can do here.
01:11 You've got the cafe that we're going to be opening at the weekends and on Fridays.
01:17 During weekdays, term time, there's many different charities that can use the pavilion and ourselves to enable people to come up here.
01:27 The big project we're part of is Unlocking Potential in Telford.
01:32 It's about looking at young people in Telford and giving them the opportunity to find and be inspired to reach all that they can do and have hope.
01:47 With our guys who have been through tough times but have come out the other side, they're great role models and they can speak in a language to people that are finding life challenging.
02:01 Almost better than us.
02:03 So the idea is just on some days, maybe one day a week, to have groups up for that.
02:10 But we'll be working with the Carers charity and with other charities that want to really use this inspirational place.
02:19 I'm just going to very simply add that just as we've chatted to people as we come up here, everybody has wanted to know what's happening next, when you're opening.
02:29 We just chatted to a couple this morning, didn't we, that we sort of knew through somebody else and they're just so thrilled to hear that something's finally happening.
02:38 So we're privileged and humbled to lead the charge.
02:41 Yes, and we can't wait to go and see all those people.
02:45 Having hoped, but to actually get this grant, £320,000 we're getting from the Department of Leveling Up.
02:53 It will take a little bit of a while for the money to come through and obviously there's a lot to be done in getting the water supply strong and resilient.
03:00 But the fact that the government has recognised the potential, it's wonderful.
03:08 And in their letter to us, which we only got on Friday, they referred to it as a treasured community asset.
03:14 It's a lovely letter from the government to really recognise what it means to us and local residents, everybody around.
03:22 And I'm a Recon Walker, so I love it. I love the whole idea of doing something on the Recon and bringing this all back to life.
03:29 So it's going to be a journey, but we're looking forward to it and all ready for it. Aren't we?
03:35 Yes!