Photo: young people taking part in kayaking on Ullswater in the Lake District.
A charity based in rural Northumberland can continue and expand their provision for young people, thanks to a grant from three funds at the Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland. North Tyne Youth based in Otterburn, but serving an area of over 800 square miles, received £15,724 from the Wellesley Trust, Ray Wind Farm Small Grants Programme and Northumberland Village Homes Trust.
The organisation aims to enable young people to flourish by offering recreational and leisure time activities that promote their social, emotional, and physical wellbeing. The grant towards core costs, allows them to recruit an additional youth worker to support their youth delivery across their area of reach.
Pete Barrett, Senior Programmes Advisor at the Community Foundation, explained how the grant was particularly important for such rural communities:
“North Tyne Youth works in a variety of villages that can often be overlooked by youth services, yet the need is strong due to social isolation and lack of opportunities available. The grant will help them to expand their staff team and offer greater stability, which in turn will provide more guaranteed provision and allow expansion of services”.
Health and wellbeing have been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, with North Tyne Youth recognising “skyrocketing anxiety in our young people”. This coupled with a geographical disadvantage, risks young people becoming further isolated. Offering a broader range of provision at six locations in Northumberland allows the organisation to support them more effectively.
Lisa Robinson, Youth Development Worker, added:
“Thank you sincerely for your help and support with this application. We are delighted to have been awarded this funding, which has secured our future as an organisation and which will allow us to continue to provide fantastic opportunities and support to our geographically and socially isolated young people across rural north-west Northumberland”.