Dawn French visits Plymouth Foyer

Having opened Plymouth Foyer way back in January 2000, Dawn French was delighted to be asked back to celebrate their 10th anniversary in January of this year. A party with almost 200 guests enjoyed an exhibition of work from present and past Foyer residents, meeting up with old friends, chatting with Dawn and listening to presentations from the young people themselves.

Guest were inspired by stories of how one resident beat drug addiction and yet another had just achieved her youth work qualification. A former resident, who now runs her own dancing school, brought along some of her dancers to entertain the crowd. Finally, one resident turned the tables on the staff by choosing to interview and film a staff member about what the Foyer meant to them.

After food was served a band played offering people the chance to dance the night away…

Dawn summed up the impact of the Foyer by saying, “the Foyer has touched so many lives by providing the opportunities for young people to move on and become successful in whatever they want to do.”

Foyer facts!

• over 600 young people have lived at the Foyer in its 10 years
• 19 policies and procedures have been introduced or amended after resident participation
• in the last year alone, 91 young people have received an accredited qualification
• in the last 5 years residents and staff have raised a staggering £191,000 to enable young people to participate in additional activities