"I think it's a reaction to some of the tensions at the moment around radical extremism and fundamentalism," says Mike Seaton, national secretary of the Methodist Association of Youth Clubs (MAYC). The association has just been refused money from the government's children, young people and families grant.
"There's a fear the government won't be seen to support all young people and could be misinterpreted," he adds. "I also think they have a very clear agenda of what youth work should be, so we need to come in line with that a little bit."
MAYC, which began in 1945, has always enjoyed government support but Seaton says in these difficult times, it's essential the church puts something back itself.
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