17th Oct 2017
East Newcastle’s Kids Kabin is based in a ward where few people are educated to degree level. The Community Foundation Tyne & Wear and Northumberland has provided it with support for over a decade, with grants since 2010 from Henry Smith Charity; Comic Relief and the Port of Tyne and Wellesley Trust funds amounting to £193,871.
This support has transformed the lives of young people from the area. Tyler Leech started there at 8, later becoming a young volunteer. She describes how the project helped her:
“When I first came to Kid’s Kabin I was really shy, and I didn’t like to get involved. Doing drama there gave me the confidence to do summer schools at the Theatre Royal. I became heavily involved in woodwork. I took it on at GCSE and got the highest score in my year. Art helped broaden my imagination. I wrote a story, and really loved it. Now I’m studying English at the University of York St John and want to be an English teacher. A big reason I got to University was Kids Kabin.”