After-school activity sessions for young people in a County Durham village are set to continue thanks to new funding from a regional employer.
Tudhoe Community Centre is using a £2,000 grant from the Banks Group to cover the cost of the twice-weekly activity groups that it runs on Monday and Tuesday afternoons for children aged between six and 12 years old.
The sessions offer a variety of different activities, including crafts, sports, films, outdoor play and board games, with around 20 local young people attending each one at the St David’s Close venue.
A teatime meal is also provided free of charge, with club members learning new cookery and teamwork skills by getting involved in its preparation.
The Banks Group funding will ensure the Community Centre sessions can continue to run every term-time week from September through to July next year.
The project is run in partnership with the Spennymoor Youth & Community Association and is open to any children living in the area, with voluntary fees kept to a minimum to ensure it remains as accessible as possible.
It also allows the project team to work with local families and to provide them with advice, information and signposting on any challenges they might be facing.
Michael Fishwick, project coordinator at Tudhoe Community Centre, says: “Our sessions are designed to give local young people the chance to try all sorts of different things in a structured environment, with our team of qualified and experienced youth workers on hand to help everyone get the most possible enjoyment out of them.
“A number of our members come from disadvantaged areas or have challenging behaviours and additional needs, and we work hard to make sure we’re accessible and welcoming to everyone, with the right support in place wherever it’s required.
“We see a really positive impact on the behaviours of the children that come to our sessions, as well as a lot of new, very firm friendships forming that continue outside the community centre, and we got a great deal of positive feedback from local families about how much their children enjoy taking part.
“Consistency is really important for getting the best out of this project, but finding funding for it is not always easy.
“The Banks Group’s generous support means we know we can now plan ahead for the whole year with confidence.”
The Banks Group is the business behind a proposed new residential development off York Hill Road in Tudhoe, which would see around 350 new homes being on a 15-hectare site and would include a 15 per cent allocation of affordable housing.
Kate Culverhouse, community relations manager at the Banks Group, adds: “This is a really important project that is having a positive short and long-term impact on the lives of children and families in Tudhoe.
“We’re very pleased to be able to back the Community Centre team’s firm commitment to giving local young people all the opportunities that they can.”
The Banks Group’s community funds are independently managed by Point North (formerly the County Durham Community Foundation).
Anyone from a community close to a Banks Group project who is interested in applying for funding from the Banks Community Fund should contact the company via its website enquiry form (www.banksgroup.co.uk/contact-us/) to find out if their group or project is eligible.