FUNDING LIFELINE PROVIDED TO YOUTH CENTRE IN BISHOP AUCKLAND

Over £150,000 worth of funding was made accessible for community groups and voluntary sector organisations within County Durham and Darlington this year, through the Community Safety Fund.The Office of the Durham Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner, in partnership with County Durham Community Foundation, launched the applications for funding back in August 2020.

Funding was available for projects and initiatives, which help to keep communities safe and contribute towards inspiring public confidence. Many organisations have faced unprecedented challenges as they adapted and changed how they delivered their vital services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Office of the Durham Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner in partnership with County Durham Community Foundation is delighted to have been able to provide a share of this funding to the Auckland Youth Community Centre to enable them to provide further support to their Detached Youth Work Project.

The centre offers a range of carefully designed support services to people of all ages and needs, through a wide range of activities, interventions, learning experiences and events.

Steve White, Acting Durham Police, Crime and Victims’ Commissioner said: “It is encouraging that we are able to support services such as Auckland Youth Community Centre with the Community Safety Fund this year.

Key support organisations across County Durham and Darlington, such as community centres, have adapted brilliantly during the Covid-19 crisis to continue to provide their vital services. Support is not only offered to young people but also adults at the centre, as additional provision can be provided to support their mental health and wellbeing at this difficult time.”

The centre had to close during the first lockdown but has now reopened with reduced hours and activities where possible. Shutting the centre was devastating for the team, and the thousands of people who access its services, however, the centre continued to work tirelessly to provide support to the Woodhouse Close community through mental health provision, crisis intervention and remote services.

David McCreedy from the centre said: “People don’t realise how much you can do with a ‘small’ grant and how much it changes lives.

“The youth and community centre has been continually delivering services for years, so we were devastated when we had to close, because we’d built up such a good rapport with our children, young people and their families. We switched to doing outreach work and delivering craft packs and that gave us the chance to check in with people. The young people are sick of Zoom. They want interaction and their parents are the same.”

“With the schools still open we can do some focused work with parents. Many parents need additional support for their own mental health and wellbeing that concerns us. Although we are a youth centre, we do a lot of community work and we’ve had more and more people coming in.”

“It’s really important to work with the whole family and we often work with grandparents, parents and toddlers all from the same family, so the support is holistic.”

Auckland Youth Community Centre - https://www.aucklandyouthcommunitycentre.co.uk/

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