YOUNG people wanting to learn more DIY skills can do so thanks to a new evening being launched by Brromsgrove’s Broad Street DIY.
Essential DIY Skills for Young People will be held at the firm’s Worcester Road base from 6pm to 8pm on February 15.
The session is aimed at those 18 to 30-year-olds who are perplexed by plumbing or frustrated by flat packs.
It will feature live practical demonstrations on how to tackle some of the most common problems in the home, such as unblocking a sink, changing a light bulb, putting fixings into plasterboard and isolating water and electrics.
And the first 20 people through the door on the night will also receive a free DIY goody bag.
Bosses at Broad Street DIY decided to put on the event after increasing evidence that ‘do it yourself’ as an important life skill was in serious decline.
Research by the store found many of today’s 20 to 30-year-olds did not possess the knowledge traditionally passed down from father to son, leading to a generation which is unable to handle even the simplest DIY tasks.
According to statistics published by MORE TH>N home insurance in 2016, 30 per cent of young people in Britain did not own a tool box, one in five admitted they did not know how to change a lightbulb and over half cannot unblock a drain.
Lisa Childs, a director at Broad Street DIY, said: “We believe it is vitally important young people are equipped with practical skills which will help them throughout life.
“The home can be a dangerous place if people do not understand how to properly carry out improvements or routine repairs.”
Bromsgrove student Emma Phillips, 22, said she thought the event was a great idea.
“I live in a shared house when I’m at university and it would be really helpful if we knew how to handle common problems ourselves, like unblocking the sink or bleeding the radiators.”
Josh Johns, a 24-year-old sales executive added: “We had water gushing out of an overflow pipe into the garden when I was at university.
“None of us in the house had a clue what to do.
“We called a plumber to fix it and discovered we just needed a new ballcock in the water tank.
“I think this sort of event could equip me with the skills and confidence to tackle similar problems in the future.”
Participants must register in advance for the event by emailing [email protected] or by calling Lisa on 01527 873555.
