Charities urge local businesses to plug Bristol’s £1m youth services gap
Joe Lepper
Thursday, October 19, 2023
A coalition of charities in Bristol is calling on local businesses to provide support to plug a £1m gap in play and youth facilities across the city.
It is calling for firms to give either financial support or share skills and services.
This includes offering donations as well as supporting youth and play providers with professional support in areas including marketing, legal advice, and accountancy.
Employers and their staff are also being called on to support providers with decorating, repairs and other jobs at sites and youth centres.
The call has been issued by Playful Bristol and the Youth Work Alliance, which involves 45 not for profit organisations. It has pinpointed where £1m worth of gaps in provision exist across the city for firms to help target their support.
The Alliance is working with Bristol City Council on the initiative, which aims to ensure young people are never more than a mile away from play or youth facilities and have access to support seven days a week.
The city has one of the youngest age profiles in England and Wales. Just under one in five of its residents are under 16.
“Bristol’s children and young people have a right to top-quality play and youth facilities and targeted support within reach of their homes,” said the Alliance.
“These are essential to physical, mental, and social development which is why they matter so much.”
The Alliance added that businesses which take part “will ensure children and young people thrive in the here-and-now and into the future”.
Heather Frankham, a trustee of children’s charity Origin Foundation, which is supporting the campaign, added: “Funding is challenging so we must work creatively and through partnerships. Investing in children and young people will ensure Bristol can prosper for years to come, by bringing vitality and opportunity to our city.”
