The NPA Painting and Decorating students and their lecturer Jordan Bryceland painted the entire interior of the two-bedroomed house owned by Gateway, the Highland Homeless Trust.

The skills and generosity of the students means the house in the Carse area of Inverness is now ready to be leased out to a future tenant with mental health issues who will be offered the supported accommodation as part of their care package.

Lorraine Nesbitt, a business administrator at the charity, failed to hire professionals and contacted UHI Inverness to ask if a class would be prepared to paint the property as a work experience opportunity.  She studied at UHI Inverness to gain two separate qualifications and knows how beneficial work experience is to the student experience.

The painting and decorating team at UHI Inverness agreed to take on the task and offered to do the work free of charge. They also arranged for Valspar Trade and Trade Point, Inverness to kindly sponsor all the materials.

The group of students relished the opportunity to work on a real-world project and filled the holes and painted all the walls, ceilings, doors and skirting.

Lorraine, who is delighted with the transformation, said: “The students have done a fantastic job. The last tenant had been living in the property for a while and it really needed a good freshen up. It’s now ready to allow someone to live independently in their community with assistance.”

Jordan said it was the first time the class had been involved in a work project outside the campus and he was impressed with the students’ approach and enthusiasm. Some second-year apprentices also helped with the work.

He added: “I have been very impressed with the way the students have applied and conducted themselves throughout this project and it was great to see them put what they have learned so far into practice. It has been a good experience and has definitely had a positive impact on the students.”