A new\u00a0social enterprise selling quality vintage sportswear at affordable prices to support and provide training to vulnerable young people has opened its doors at South Shields Transport Interchange.<\/p>\n
The HoodEx shop was the brainchild of a reformed offender and serving soldier, Ricky Gleeson, who wanted to create a business with a strong social value.<\/p>\n
Nexus, the public body which manages South Shields Interchange, said the shop was a welcome addition.<\/p>\n
Ricky started the company\u00a0to support young ex-offenders and people at risk of offending, inspired by his own life experiences of crime, homelessness and drug abuse.<\/p>\n
Now a reformed character, he began with a stall at South Shields Market, but he has seen a dream come true after expanding the venture into the vacant unit at the town\u2019s transport interchange.<\/p>\n
Through the HoodEx brand, which repurposes used clothing for resale, Ricky aims to make a living and use a percentage of the proceeds to support young people, steering them away from trouble and into sports.<\/p>\n
Volunteers get support with fitness training with fully licensed PTI\u2019s, wellness sessions, driving lessons, help with obtaining ID such as passports, healthy food, travel expenses and further bespoke support designed to get them into full-time paid employment.<\/p>\n
Ricky, 46, of South Tyneside, said: \u201cIt\u2019s a huge moment for me to be able to move into my own shop. I\u2019m really proud. I want to thank the team at Nexus for being so accommodating.<\/p>\n
\u201cI really needed a unit to take the business to the next level, and the empty shop at South Shields Interchange was an ideal location for me.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of hard work has gone in to getting to this point and I\u2019m so excited that I\u2019ve managed to get the place up and running.<\/p>\n
\u201cHoodEx is a community interest company. We sell repurposed quality clothing at affordable prices, and a percentage of the money from that is used to benefit the community. In this case it goes towards supporting young offenders and those who could be at risk of offending.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis can be support with fitness training and gym memberships, and other things like travelling expenses and driving lessons. A big part of what we do is supporting young people to get more exercise, particularly boxing training, which is a really great way to steer young people away from bother. It\u2019s something that was a big help to me when I was younger.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added: \u201cI\u2019ve taken inspiration for this venture from my own previous struggles when I was younger, when I found myself lured into a world of petty crime, which led to a few spells behind bars.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve also been homeless and used to sell the Big Issue in Newcastle city centre. I\u2019ve since turned my life around following twelve years in the Royal Navy. Now HoodEx is my way of helping others avoid making the mistakes that I made.<\/p>\n
\u201cSouth Shields interchange is a great location for us. I\u2019ve been able to engage with a lot of the young people who come in, and I even think it has actually helped in a small way to reduce incidents of anti-social behaviour there.\u201d<\/p>\n
James Parkinson, Head of Corporate Contracting and Commercial Income at Nexus, said: \u201cThe HoodEx social enterprise is an excellent new addition at South Shields Transport Interchange. It\u2019s a fantastic project which is going to help a lot of local young people in our region.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been great to work with HoodEx to help them turn their ideas into reality. We\u2019re always seeking to work with organisations that are looking for premises and would encourage anyone who thinks a Metro Station could be a suitable base to get in touch with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ricky splits his time between running HoodEx and a job in the British Army as a miliary guard.<\/p>\n