Great Childhoods Ambition Community Fund helps local groups offer new activities and projects for children and young people

Grants totalling £246,000 have been awarded to local community and voluntary groups to deliver exciting projects over the next 18 months as part of our Great Childhoods Ambition.

Delivered by Barnsley CVS and funded by Barnsley Council, the Great Childhoods Ambition Community Fund is supporting groups to bring their ideas for local projects aimed at children and young people to life.

14 voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) organisations have been awarded funding to provide new services and exciting activities as part of the initiative:

·         Ad Astra.

·         Barnsley Civic.

·         Breaking Beats.

·         Chilypep.

·         Dearne Playhouse.

·         Equipt Therapy.

·         Exodus.

·         Great Houghton Youth Group.

·         Jolly Good Communities.

·         Mission Table Tennis.

·         OnPAR Health.

·         Rotherham and Barnsley MIND.

·         Station House Community Association.

·         Youth Association

Projects awarded funding range from podcasting sessions to drama classes, encouraging young people to learn new skills and feel valued as part of their local community.

Successful organisations came together this week at the Dearne Playhouse to see how what they’ll create together will deliver on our Great Childhoods Ambition programme.

Successful applications had to meet at least one of the programme’s five key priorities: belong, explore, dream, grow and connect. Keep an eye out for updates across our channels and from the community groups themselves to see how they get on over the next 18 months.

Councillor Ashley Peace, Cabinet Spokesperson for Children’s Services at Barnsley Council, said: “In Barnsley, we want all children, young people and families to benefit from the opportunities that a great childhood brings. We’re therefore excited to be partnering with Barnsley CVS on another exciting initiative rooted in our brilliant, supportive communities.

“We know community groups across Barnsley play a vital role in supporting children and young people, and with our Great Childhoods Ambition Community Fund, we’re empowering them to be even bolder in what they offer.

“These local projects will play a vital role in shaping a brighter future for our children and young people by providing opportunities for learning, growth and meaningful engagement. We can’t wait to see them come to life over the next 18 months.”

Sandra Georgeson, Registered Manager for Equipt Therapy, one of the successful organisations as part of the Community Fund, said: “We’re so excited to have this opportunity to work creatively with Barnsley young people in care to tell their story in creative ways, which would not have been possible without this vital funding.”

Earlier this year, Barnsley CVS received funding from the Great Childhoods Ambition programme to distribute to VCSE groups, recognising the wide range of support they already offer children and young people across the borough.

One way Barnsley CVS has chosen to allocate this funding, which has been designed to improve provision for young people, is through the Great Childhoods Ambition Community Fund.

As anticipated, there was a huge demand for grants, with applications worth over £700,000 for a wide range of activities. A local panel then selected successful bids to award grant funding to.

Barnsley CVS is also running Ambition Arena: Your Pitch, Your Summer as part of our Great Childhoods Ambition programme. This unique initiative invites young people to pitch for funding to create the activities they want to see next summer.

We’re still welcoming applications to be part of our Ambition Arena, with successful candidates set to present their big ideas to our ‘Dragons’ Den’ style panel early next year.

Young people aged eight to 18 across Barnsley are invited to pitch their ideas for what exciting activities we should invest in next summer by Monday 1 December. Learn more about this exciting opportunity and apply today by visiting the Barnsley CVS website.

Funding for both these projects has been made possible by Barnsley Council’s Great Childhoods Ambition programme. Learn more by visiting barnsley.gov.uk/greatchildhoods.