A teenager from Sale who works as a construction apprentice has helped to improve the estate he grew up on.
Jayden Thomson, who lives on the Sale West estate in Trafford, has been working on the multi-million-pound regeneration of the estate after gaining a ground-works apprenticeship.
The future had looked very different for the 18-year-old, who left school with no qualifications and was left feeling "despondent" about his next steps.
However, he enrolled on a youth education programme that helped him to get his GCSEs in maths and English before being accepted onto the Argyle apprenticeship.
The education programme is run by Sale Sharks and is supported by the Irwell Valley Foundation, a charitable investment fund run by the not-for-profit housing association, Irwell Valley Homes, which also owns 1,100 properties on the estate.
Improving Sale West comes is the biggest estate regeneration project in Greater Manchester for more than a decade, costing £50 million.
Reflecting on his apprenticeship and work on the site, the teenager said: "They believed in me. They showed me there's something worth working for.
“Growing up on the estate it’s good to see the positive changes taking place – I’m happy to be part of it.
"In years to come, I’ll walk down the street and think ‘I helped to do this’.”
Irwell Valley Homes hosted an event to mark the progress of the project which was attended by Jayden and cllr Andrew Western, leader of Trafford Council and the clean air, regeneration and housing lead for Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).
Richard Roe, director of place for Trafford Council, Darren Adnett, representing Homes England and Jonathan Seddon, chief executive of Seddon, were also in attendance.
Irwell Valley Homes has delivered 39 new homes for social rent as part of phase one of the project with another 40 homes on track for completion over the next 12 months.
Improvements to the estate so far include car park access, re-surfacing work, new street signage, improved footpaths, cycle ways and communication spaces.
Other enhancements on the way include five new natural play areas, a local nature trail with bird boxes, swift bricks, hedgehog highways and trees to improve the biodiversity of the area.
Sasha Deepwell, chief executive of Irwell Valley Homes, said: “The need for more affordable housing has never been more urgent as the cost-of-living crisis hits communities hard, which is why we’re really pleased the new homes on Sale West are for social rent - priced around 40 per cent lower than the market rate for the area.
“The new homes and estate improvements are being delivered alongside significant investment in the local community to create opportunities, boost economic mobility and raise aspirations for local people.”
Cllr Western added that there is a "huge shortage" of affordable homes in Trafford and welcomed Irwell Valley Homes' scheme.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here