Community groups for young people benefit from cash boost

More than £40,000 was awarded to youth clubs, sports groups and arts projects in the city, delivering schemes such as helping young people with the transition to secondary school, giving disabled children opportunities to play and putting on football sessions for refugee children.

The £40,000 is the first round of awards from a £1 million pot managed by the Sussex Community Foundation.

The Brighton and Hove Legacy Fund for Children and Young People was created by a number of trust funds transferred by Brighton and Hove City Council to the foundation.

Cllr Emma Daniel, chair of the council’s neighbourhoods, communities and equalities committee, said: “We have been delighted with the number and quality of applications that the fund received in its first round. The projects and activities that have received grants absolutely reflect the objectives of the fund and we are delighted that the foundation has been able to get this money working more so effectively for the community.”

Kevin Richmond, chief executive of Sussex Community Foundation, said: “The Brighton and Hove Legacy Fund brings together 10 legacies left to the city of the last two centuries. We are honoured to work with Brighton and Hove City Council to make sure that these legacies help children and young people today, and for generations to come.

“These twelve grants mark the beginning of our work together and we look forward to supporting many more brilliant local charities in future.”

The grants were as follows:

- Salaam Football Club, £2,880: Salaam FC is a volunteer-run football club for disadvantaged boys and girls, mostly refugees and migrant children. This grant will support the club to deliver training sessions, matches, fun days out for the children and participation in two local summer day tournaments.

- Hangleton & Knoll Project, £4,910: The Hangleton and Knoll Project is a community development and youth work organisation. This funding will develop ‘Step Out’, a young people’s social action and volunteer programme.

- Amazonas Arts, £2,812: Amazonas Arts uses Brazilian art forms to encourage community involvement, delivering workshops particularly for children and disadvantaged young people. This funding will support an eight-week programme of free weekly capoeira movement and music classes to a group of young people.

- Russell Martin Foundation, £2,125: The Russell Martin Foundation impacts positively on the lives of children and young people through sport, education and opportunity. This funding will support the Equality FC girl’s football programme.

- Brighton Youth Centre, £2,010: Brighton Youth Centre is a dynamic youth centre that works with young people, providing relevant and accessible space, activities, training and support. This grant will help extend their programme of activities and events for 13 to 19-year-olds, paying for specific activities and events, travel and staffing costs.

- Allsorts Youth Project, £3,300: Allsorts Youth Project supports, empowers and connects children and young people under 26 who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans or unsure (LGBTU) of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity. This grant will support four Bushcraft away days for LGBTU children and young people.

- Carousel, £4,825: Carousel supports learning disabled adults and children to engage with the arts and to achieve their artistic ambitions. The grant will cover costs of workshops, developing access, producing resources, staffing, space hire, materials, equipment and volunteer expenses.

- Exploring Senses CIC, £4,916: Exploring Senses is a community arts organisation providing combined arts, crafts and digital participatory activities. This funding will allow them to continue providing a weekly Exploring Senses MakerLab activity for young people from 13 to 19 years old.

- extratime, £2,000: extratime gives children and young people with severe and complex disabilities opportunities to play, socialise and try new things at fully inclusive out-of-school projects. Funding is to support their holiday play schemes for children aged 5 to 11.

- Brighton City Table Tennis Club, £1,598: Brighton City Table Tennis Club uses table tennis to engage people living in the city. This funding will help to on a project with Brighton and Hove Muslim Forum to deliver sessions for girls and boys from 10 to 18 years old at Al Medina Mosque, as well as at the club.

- Safety Net, £4,750: Safety Net keeps children and young people safe from harm and abuse. This funding will enable them to run workshops at schools that support children with safety issues such as online safety, bullying and friendships and transition to secondary school.

- Friends at Blatch, £4,100: Friends at Blatch aims to ensure good communication between parents and teachers in the education of children at home and in Blatchington Mill school. Funding is to pay for a new initiative involving energy production and water conservation for Year 9s, paying for two school trips and the cost of the materials.

A £5,000 grant has also been made to Brighton and Hove Library Services to deliver high-quality, targeted outreach activities for children across all the city’s libraries.

The next deadline for applications is Friday, January 11 2019.

For more information, visit: www.sussexgiving.org.uk/apply