The man behind a former High Wycombe-based furniture charity that helped give disadvantaged youngsters practical skills has started up a new business.

Jay Blades ran the Out of the Dark charity for 15 years before it was forced to close earlier this year due to cashflow problems.

He taught youngsters how to re-work old pieces of furniture and teach them skills that would enable them to go out and get jobs.

And his experience in Wycombe has led to him starting a consultancy firm telling others how to set up similar charities and businesses.

Mr Blades has set up his new company, Jay&Co, in Wolverhampton.

He explained the reasoning for the new location: "It has the second highest unemployment rate in the country. Also, the town's motto is 'Out of darkness cometh light', which I think is quite a poetic link [to the old company name]."

He said: "It's very similar to what Out of the Dark was all about. My role is more of a consultancy role - I go round to areas wherever there's a need for me to set up a project, rather than be fixed in one location.

"I will go and set up a project and teach people how to do it, and they will take over from me.

"Out of the Dark taught me there's a possibility you can reignite young people's attitudes towards work, attitudes towards themselves, and towards general life."

Out of the Dark had to close earlier this year after an application for funding failed, at the same time as a large order fell through.

Mr Blades said he wants to bring traditional crafts back to other areas of the country, having been inspired by Wycombe's place as the centre of the chairmaking business.

In Wolverhampton he is keen to revive the Black Country art of trepanning, a form of industrial-scale drilling.

Mr Blades added: "The support and love I have received from social media and from the High Wycombe community has moved me to take High Wycombe's plight even further afield."