A London charity has received almost half a million pounds to support 300 youth clubs across the capital to provide improved services and activities for 27,000 young people.

City Bridge Trust, the City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, has awarded £400,000 in funding to London Youth to support the hundreds of voluntary managed youth organisations in London amid increasing cuts to generic youth services for young people.

The grant will enable London Youth, based in Hoxton, to help the clubs be more resilient, more sustainable and provide better services.

The funding will go towards providing sports programmes for girls and disabled young people, funding a young City Leaders initiative and supporting more youth clubs across the capital through fundraising support, safety and safeguarding training, support with research into the needs of London’s youth and helping clubs find ways to better demonstrate their worth and value.

A recent GLA report looking at cuts to youth services in London shows that significant cuts have been made to youth clubs over the last few years, with nearly 50% of full time staff cut, meaning a large reduction in statutory youth organisations across London.*

Alison Gowman, Chairman of the City of London Corporation’s City Bridge Trust Committee, said:

“As London’s largest membership body for youth groups, London Youth acts as an important voice for the sector, and thousands of young people in times of major cuts.

“It is an important and highly regarded infrastructure body for hundreds of youth organisations across London and the many young people whose lives are enriched by them.

“Non-statutory services for young people have been greatly affected by cuts and continue to be under threat. The sector itself need to maintain what it does well and to improve- and London Youth is a key organisation in enabling this.

“We are committed to making the capital a better place to live for all Londoners.”

Rosemary Watt-Wyness, Chief Executive, London Youth, added:

“This grant will enable London Youth to strengthen our members, develop the support available to them and to increase access to our sports participation and City Leaders programmes for young people.

“Our 300+ members support tens of thousands of young people each year and with cuts of over £22 million from youth service budgets across the capital since 2011, this funding has given a much-needed boost to the youth sector and the young people we work with.”

City Bridge Trust is London’s biggest independent grant giver, making grants of £20 million a year to tackle disadvantage and inequality across the capital. The Trust has awarded around 7,700 grants totalling over £370 million since it first began in 1995. It helps achieve the City Corporation’s aim of changing the lives of hundreds of thousands of Londoners

*https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/final_sian_berry_youth_services_update_mar2017.pdf

ENDS

Media Enquiries

Kristina Drake

Media Officer, City of London Corporation

Kristina.Drake@cityoflondon.gov.uk

07710860884 / 020 7332 1125

 Notes to editors

About the City of London Corporation:

The City of London Corporation provides local government and policing services for the financial and commercial heart of Britain, the 'Square Mile'. In addition, the City Corporation has three roles:

• We support London’s communities by working in partnership with neighbouring boroughs on economic regeneration, education and skills. In addition, the City of London Corporation’s charitable funder, City Bridge Trust, makes grants of around £20 million annually to tackle disadvantage across London.
• We also help look after key London heritage and green spaces including Tower Bridge, the Museum of London, Barbican Arts Centre, City gardens, Hampstead Heath, Epping Forest, Burnham Beeches, and important commons in London.
• We also support and promote the ‘City’ as a world-leading financial and business hub, with outward and inward business delegations, high-profile civic events and research-driven policies, all reflecting a long-term approach.

Seewww.cityoflondon.gov.uk for more details.