North Yorkshire Receives Voluntary Sector Boost

The umbrella body for youth clubs in North Yorkshire has won a £450,000 contract to support the voluntary sector. North Yorkshire Youth, which was called Youth Clubs North Yorkshire until this month, will be given £150,000 a year by North Yorkshire County Council for the next three years to provide support and advice on the setting up and running of youth clubs.

he organisation will also help groups of young people to compile funding applications for new facilities. North Yorkshire Youth will, after Easter, be recruiting a team of fieldworkers linked to voluntary organisations across the county, to deliver the work from summer onwards.

Chief executive Simon Hills said: “The real shift in emphasis is on providing practical support. Part of my business planning process was to put us in a position where we could tender for statutory contracts.”

Cynthia Welbourn, director of the county’s children and young people’s service, said the partnership would allow a uniform system of county-wide support, which had previously been patchy.

Carlton Lodge Outdoor Centre, where North Yorkshire Youth is based, is currently undergoing a £1.8m redevelopment.