Bored young people in Sheffield can get involved in many outdoor activities such as BMX riding, zorbing and a climbing wall this spring thanks to a grant from the Big Lottery Fund (BIG).
It is one of 81 projects across Yorkshire and the Humber sharing £646,759 from BIG's Awards for All programme, which aims to make huge differences with relatively small grants.
The project by Friends of Chapeltown and High Green Parks will use £9,188 of funding to run a series of activities at the park for local young people. This will encourage them to get involved and take ownership of their area, promoting community cohesion and reducing the risk of anti-social behaviour.
Doris Denton, spokesperson for the project said: "We are very happy to receive funding from the Big Lottery Fund. Young local people often complain there is nothing exciting for them to do and we realised there was a demand for outdoor activities in the park. Often glass is broken, wood is set on fire and youngsters are generally sitting around doing nothing.
"We have plans to start a series of large events in April starting with zorbing and urban boxing on Saturday morning 20th April with a scavenger's hunt for the younger children, followed by street kick football activities, a climbing wall, BMX skills training and many more exciting things for them to do. We are also working with the local school to organise after school activities for the 2000 children that attend and even activities for when they are on school holidays. Without this funding the local young people will continue to be bored in the area and this could have serious negative consequences for the local community."
Also in the region, the Yorkshire Yoga project in Harrogate, North Yorkshire has received £9,972 to train members of staff in Phase IV cardiac rehabilitation and run specialised pilot yoga classes for GP referred patients with heart problems. This will enable the group to address the needs of people with heart problems and help them to participate in a structured exercise programme.
In Rotherham, Just Another Dance Event will use £9,650 to educate and raise awareness of illegal substances that young people can come across in their community. This will help them to understand the implications of using drugs and reduce drug related crime and anti-social behaviour in the local area.
A further £9,940 of Awards for All funding has been awarded to a charity in Huddersfield, Kidz Klub Allerton who will set up a mid week youth club and a mid week sex education programme. This will enable young people to get advice and support to build their self-esteem and ensure they can make well informed relationship choices.
Big Lottery Fund spokesperson, Caroline James, said: "We are very proud to be able to support so many diverse charitable, voluntary and community organisations within our Awards for All programme. These projects are in great need of this vital funding in these hard times, even small amounts of funding can make big differences to young people and other important communities across the region."
