A big-hearted businessman who helped get homeless people in Glasgow off the streets has launched a new charity for young Scots. Barry Cushley, who last year donated use of his firm’s Glassford Street building in city centre to the charity Homeless Project Scotland, is behind the project.
His new charity Quest for Success SCIO will offer community apprenticeships and scholarships, training, education and potential career paths for young Scots in need. Homeless Project Scotland is continuing to use Cushley’s building in Glasgow’s Merchant City to provide a 24-hour overnight emergency shelter, hub and soup kitchen for the city’s homeless.
That experience inspired Cushley to set up the new organisation, which has been approved by the charity licensing body OSCR, to give second chances and better futures to young people. He told the Record: “It’s been illuminating working with Colin [McInnes, CEO] and his team at Homeless Project Scotland – seeing up close the amazing things they do 24 hours a day couldn’t fail to inspire anyone.
“That was the spark which has led to Quest For Success – seeing Colin’s drive and determination and realising I need to do more. We all do.
“Our work with HPS continues of course, but I wanted to look at ways to offer a better life or a second chance to kids who come from the wrong area, have fallen into the wrong crowd, messed up at school or in life. Often it’s none of those things, they maybe just don’t have the money or connections to see a path to university, a trade, a career. A future.
“Quest For Success is for those kids. Using the network I’ve built up over the years, we will set up apprenticeship positions with trusted partners and place young people in roles that give them training, life and work skills, self-respect, a wage and a pathway to a career and future.”
Cushley had the idea for some time, and previously self-funded a pilot apprenticeship with his own company Quintessential Offices. Rhys McLaughlin, 21, has been working and learning with Cushley’s team through the pilot programme since April and is now flourishing – and has ambitions to start his own firm one day.
Rhys said: “I started working here in April when I was struggling a wee bit, I had maybe lost my way in life. I had wee things here and there but nothing secure, there was no real future or plan there for me that I could see.
“This apprenticeship with Barry has given me that bit of security so now I feel comfortable with my situation and my place in the world. I have the confidence now to plan goals – I want to eventually start my own business, doing something like the work I am doing here.”
He added: “Getting this position was a brilliant opportunity for me and these apprenticeships will be amazing for other people too, because with Barry there’s a business and a guy anyone can learn a lot from. I think Quest For Success is a great thing.”
Cushley sang the 21-year-old’s praises, saying: Rhys is a star. I knew he had something special when we met through another charity, who had mentioned this lad who was looking for a job or opportunity.”
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