Warwickshire News Mine

Thanks to a grant from Warwickshire’s Youth Opportunity Fund, Lillington Youth Centre now has a state-of-the-art basketball court and a youth shelter giving young people greater sports opportunities and somewhere to go.

The young people behind the scheme were youth centre members Fraser Checkley (14), Nazmi Klec (17) and Reece Prince (17) who wanted to refurbish the youth centre’s old court, which had fallen into disrepair.

They were awarded £23,000 from the ‘Youth Opportunity Fund’, which is a DCSF initiative operated through Warwickshire County Council’s Children, Young People and Families Directorate.

Hollie Hutchings, Youth Worker at Lillington Youth Centre, said: “This project has made a huge difference and the court is giving the local community a brand new sports facility. Young people were behind this from the start and their involvement has injected a real sense of ownership and pride in their surroundings.”

Shinderpaul Bhangal, Deputy Youth Officer for Warwickshire County Council, said: “The Lillington court and shelter are a brilliant example of what can be achieved by young people for young people. In the last year nearly half a million pounds from the Youth Opportunity Fund has been spent on 130 projects across Warwickshire and we want to encourage even more young people to come forward and put in their bids.”

The aim of the Youth Opportunity Fund is to involve young people, especially those who are hard to reach, in identifying positive activities and things to do. A panel of 50 young people in Warwickshire are involved as decision makers, grant givers and project leaders for the fund.  Application packs are available by calling Warwickshire County Council on 01926 742497.

Link to WCC