Two East Suffolk councillors have provided funding support to a popular youth charity project in Lowestoft.
Ward councillors for Gunton and St Margarets, George King and Graham Parker provided £1,410 in funding from their Enabling Communities Budgets to Catch22 to support their Suffolk Positive Futures project which provides free sports activities to children aged 10 to 18.
Led by trusted youth workers and positive adult role models, the project has for the last 20 years helped young people to build confidence through sports and engagement sessions and encourages them to stay active, develop social skills and feel part of their local community.
In Lowestoft, free sessions are taking place at Gunton Community Park, Ormiston Denes Academy and Barnards Meadow Soccer Centre, giving young people the chance to get involved in different sports in safe, welcoming and supportive spaces.
Cllr George King said:
“The Suffolk Positive Futures project is a brilliant example of what happens when communities work together. We can create fun, safe and welcoming places for young people to play, make friends and feel supported, and I am especially glad to see the team now delivering additional sessions, giving even more young people the chance to take part.
“Ross and his team do such important work making sport affordable and accessible for families here in Lowestoft. Finance should never be a barrier to sport, play, friendship and having fun, so we were really pleased to play a small part in supporting these sessions.
“The session I attended at Gunton Community Park had a large group of young people of all ages playing, laughing, learning new skills and getting involved, and it was lovely to see parents joining in too, with parents I’ve spoken to on Montgomery Avenue telling me that their children absolutely love these sessions.
“We would really encourage young people to come along and give it a try. And who knows – some of the young players I saw out there looked so talented, they could one day be representing England at a World Cup!”
Ross Hepburn, Project Coordinator at Catch22 Suffolk Positive Futures, said:
“We would like to extend our thanks to Cllrs George King and Graham Parker from East Suffolk Council for their generous funding support, which has been instrumental in allowing these projects to continue running and benefiting young people in the Gunton Estate community.”
Suffolk Positive Futures sessions are designed to be fun, active and inclusive, with young people able to turn up, join in, meet others, learn new skills and enjoy positive activities close to home. For older young people, the project also provides informal advice and guidance around future education, training and employment opportunities.
All sessions are funded and free for young people of all abilities to attend, helping to break down barriers to participation.