This Thursday, 19th January, Lewisham Shopping Centre will be celebrating the success of its partnership with the youth unemployment charity and streetwear retailer, Circle Collective, by holding an exclusive exhibition and graduation ceremony.

A social enterprise that supports young people into permanent employment, Circle Collective has been helping those in Lewisham to develop vital employability skills in their pop up shop which has been a feature of the centre since autumn 2016.

This initiative is part of the wider partnership between Circle Collective and Land Securities, the owner of Lewisham Shopping.

The exhibition, kicking off at 6:30pm in the mall, will offer guests an exclusive look at displays by budding independent designers and creatives as well as showcasing case studies from those who have secured success following the completion of the programme.

Ailish Christian-West, Head of Shopping Centres at Land Securities, will lead the address as part of a graduation ceremony for the young people who have completed Circle Collective’s ‘Get Employed’ training course.

Following the store’s successful two month pilot, which saw the company provide more than 100 work experience shifts for unemployed young people in the Lewisham area, Lewisham Shopping will continue to host the pop-up shop until July 2017.

The store will continue providing work experience planning to expand their offer to young people in the borough by putting them through inspirational workshops to help them develop the skills and experience they need to secure paid jobs.

Paul Redden, Centre Manager at Lewisham Shopping, said: “We are very excited to host the Circle Collective exhibition. The work they do within the local community is absolutely vital in inspiring young people to take their first steps into the world of work. It is also great to see independent designers showcasing their work to a wider audience which, without the Circle Collective, they may not have reached.”

Turly Humphreys, CEO at Circle Collective, added: “We cannot wait for our celebration event at Lewisham Shopping. The two month pilot has gone incredibly well, but it is really important now that we continue to promote our presence in Lewisham and reach out to those that may need our help. The exhibition will also be a chance for shoppers to immerse themselves in the work of our designers and creatives, and develop an appreciation for emerging local talents.”

Land Securities’ partnership with Circle Collective has been in place for four years, with the centre originally supporting the Circle Collective store in Westminster. During that time, the company has provided workplace visits and workshop spaces, access to work placements, funds for training programmes as well as free retail space to the charity and most importantly jobs for young people with Land Securities’ partners.

Any volunteers interested in supporting the fantastic work undertaken by Circle Collective should visit www.circlecollective.org, where you can also shop the independent designer collections stocked by the store.

Lewisham Shopping Centre has 65 shops covering the best of high street names. For more information please visit www.lewishamshopping.co.uk.

Based on information supplied by Lucy.