Co-op Warm Spaces Funding Boost has provided £720 of match funding
Hale Youth Centre; Every Little Helps!
Farnham, Surrey, United Kingdom
Aim
The money raised will ensure that we can keep the Youth Centre warm and welcoming.
Who we are:
We are a community centre in the heart of the community in North Farnham, providing activities in response to the needs of our community. Activities include a youth centre for 11-19 year olds, a community cupboard and fridge, a community garden, craft activities, a seniors club, support for those with mental health issues, a community café and much more.
Community Impact:
All our activities are aimed at:
- Improving health and well-being and reduce levels of anxiety, stress, depression and associated ill-health
- Reducing isolation
- Improving confidence and self-reliance
- Improving levels of education, skills and training
At the same time as having fun.
Why we are crowd funding:
We need the funds and we would like to involve more people in what we are doing. We know from the feedback from those who support us – whether either with funding or time – that they benefit in a number of ways too.
How we will spend the money raised:
We have financial support for our Youth Centre from a number of funding bodies – Reaching Communities, Surrey County Council, Surrey Community Foundation, Waverley Borough Council, Bethel Church, Farnham Lions and a number of smaller funders. However, the funding is restricted and finite and received before energy prices rose to the present levels. The money raised will ensure that we can keep the Centre warm and welcoming.
In a separate purpose-renovated building we run a Youth Open Access facility for 11-19 year olds (funded by Reaching Communities), a Girlz Club for 11-16 year olds, a Boy Night In for 11-19 year olds and a Code Club for 9-13 year olds. We offer the only youth provision in North Farnham and over this year have delivered 67 sessions for more than 50 young people. Already this support is showing just how valuable it is. The local police report a reduction in crime by young people on Sandy Hill, the community from which most of the young people come and one which is high on a number of measures in the Multiple lndices of Deprivation.
Our Youth Centre provides opportunities these young people don’t have elsewhere in their lives – a place to meet up with their friends; a place for entertainment, games and other activities; a place to be warm and prepare their own food; a place to be supported and listened to. All those attending have reported improvement in their mental health and personal confidence. Direct quotes include: ‘I like how you always feed us and make us feel safe’; ‘we trust you and you treat us with respect’; ‘I have learned about all different things, like how to treat people with respect’.
For further information, please refer to our website here
This project successfully funded on 24th February 2023