A YOUTH group organised by Pride Action North which provides free activities for young people often from deprived backgrounds has received support from our local MP.
East Bedlington Youth Club runs each Friday to allow children aged between eight and 12 from the town to congregate and have fun under adult supervision, providing opportunities their families might not ordinarily have access to or be able to afford.
We also recently introduced East Bedlington Holiday Club, a free provision held every Monday during the summer for children aged five to 12.
The youth sessions have proved popular with local young people, and has attracted the attention of Wansbeck MP Mr Lavery who visited us to show his support for the positive work we are carrying out.
He said: “I had a positive meeting with representatives from Pride Action North who have been doing some fantastic work in my constituency to support a wide range of young people often from deprived backgrounds.
“It is so important that support like this is out there for young people, especially during such a difficult period financially and the knock on effect that this can have on their mental health, as well as physical wellbeing.
“I look forward to working with the team at Pride Action North long into the future to support their continued efforts to make a positive impact here in Wansbeck, and the wider North.”
Mr Lavery’s visit was organised to allow the MP to engage with some of the positive projects supported by our funding partners UK Youth, as part of their Thriving Minds Project.
Following the success of East Bedlington Youth Club, we are looking to roll out similar ventures across Northumberland.
The youth club has been a great success since we introduced the sessions to young people in Bedlington, and the positive impact it has made on the lives of the youths and their families has been significant.
Being able to provide a safe place for them to spend time and engage with their friends instead of being bored with nothing to do, which can often lead to causing anti-social behaviour, is something we are really passionate about at Pride Action North.
To receive such glowing praise and strong support from our local MP is really pleasing, and we are excited about how we can improve the sessions we run to serve a larger group of youths across the county.
Supported by East Bedlington Parish Council, the youth club is held at East Bedlington Community Centre on Friday evenings between 6pm and 8pm.
The holiday club runs on Mondays during the summer school holidays between 9.30am and 12.30pm.
For more information, contact support@northumberlandpride.org.uk.
The UK Youth Fund – Thriving Minds is an ambitious £11m fund to improve mental health support and provision for young people through youth work, funded by the Julia and Hans Rausing Trust and The Westminster Foundation.
Support for young people in their community is needed now more than ever. Thriving Minds forms part of UK Youth’s commitment to channel at least £30m into youth work by 2025.
For more information about the UK Youth Fund – Thriving Minds, visit www.ukyouth.org.uk/thriving-minds.