Investment announced for youth facilities

The first major allocation from the Government’s Youth Investment Fund is set to be given to beneficiaries for rebuilding and renovating youth centres in some of the country’s most disadvantaged areas.

43 youth centres around the country are set to receive part of £90 million, with an expected 45,000 more young people to have access to facilities.

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: "I want every young person to have the opportunity to access the kinds of life-changing activities which expand their horizons and allow them to develop vital life skills.

"The National Youth Guarantee will provide these opportunities and support young people with access to regular club activities, adventures away from home and volunteering opportunities.

"We are supporting this today with an investment to create or renovate spaces for youth clubs and activities to support opportunities for thousands of young people across the country who would otherwise miss out."

Those set to benefit include Edinburgh House in Stoke-on-Trent, which will use its grant of nearly £2 million for a renovation and extension project to support an additional 150 young people per week and Lambton Street, a youth project based in Sunderland that aims to help young people develop the skills to transition into adulthood in a safe and caring environment.

£16.9 million has also be approved to expand access to uniformed youth groups, aiming to create 20,000 new places for young people aged between 10-18 across the country. This includes The Scout Association, Girlguiding, Jewish Lads’ and Girls’ Brigade, Girls’ Brigade, Boys’ Brigade, Marine Society & Sea Cadets, Volunteer Police Cadets and St John Ambulance.

Matt Hyde, chief executive of scouts said: "Every week, Scouts gives almost half a million young people the skills they need for the job interview, the important speech, the tricky challenge and the big dreams: the skills they need for life. We are really grateful to the Government for committing this new funding so that we can help even more young people learn these through Scouts. It means we can work to make sure more young people in areas of deprivation have adventures away from home, learn outside school and get the chance to volunteer."