National Lottery funding enables community group to support volunteers over a difficult year

National Lottery funding has enabled local community group Y4Youths to support volunteers and young people over a difficult year.

The group has trained over 40 people in courses like first aid, defibrillators, and level 2 food courses thanks to funding from the lottery’s Awards for All community funding.

The courses helped volunteers and participants gain much-needed skills as well as helping with their confidence and self-esteem, with Y4Youths saying the food course has proved “valuable” for support staff.

Y4Youths also provided food to vulnerable and isolated members: this included home deliveries, and a chance to chat to members of the community, to ensure they were well.

Support staff also carried out online quizzes, fitness sessions and safe walking.

Y4Youths co-ordinator, Ejaz Khan said: “This has been a very difficult time and challenging for everyone while there were lockdown and restrictions in place, but we wanted to thank Awards for All community funding which made this project possible.”

 

 

Funding was applied for prior to the pandemic, to provide help with sports hall hire, sports equipment, first aid sessions and fitness equipment.

Ejaz continued: “I hope once the pandemic restrictions ease, we can encourage more members to join our group and participate in future events and projects.

“We are hoping this project will also encourage more people in our local area to apply for lottery funding and increase the amount of amazing work that takes place in our community. We were so happy when our application was accepted.”

Y4Youths was set up in 2004 with a small group of around 15 young children who got together and started a youth group to encourage children into sports and other activities. They would get together on Sunday mornings at Kingsway Sports Centre for indoor football, circuit training and other sports.

With regular youths attending, the group was made bigger with no age limit, giving rise to youth tournaments and fitness sessions for middle-aged men.

The group is continuing to help the community, working with current guidelines and restrictions, and support sessions continue.