Grant from Paradigm Foundation aids Buckingham Youth Club

Young people in Buckingham are celebrating after their youth club received a grant from Paradigm Foundation in Woburn Green, Bucks. The Foundation grant has helped to pay for the staff and running costs of a club run by the charity Buckingham Youth Clubs Ltd. The charity was formed when funding was withdrawn in 2011 and the club was threatened with closure.

Paradigm Foundation, a charity set up by Paradigm Housing Group to support individuals and community projects in the areas where it operates, has contributed well over £1 million to the local community since it began in 2013.

Buckingham Youth Centre is a purpose-built building with great facilities for young people and depends on vital funding from external sources and on the goodwill of the three Trustees/Directors and the Management Committee who freely donate their time.

The Youth Clubs cater for secondary school age young people in Buckingham and surrounding villages and provide a safe environment supervised by eight well-trained and experienced staff. Some of the young people are from disadvantaged backgrounds and say they feel safer there than anywhere else.

John Barnett, Director and Trustee of the Charity said: “The financial assistance from Paradigm Foundation along with existing funders has meant that the Club has been able to continue. We receive financial support from Buckingham Town Council, Aylesbury Vale Community Chest and a local Family Trust as well as benefitting from two annual fundraising events organised by the Rotary Club. However, despite our hard and worthwhile work, our future really does depend on us winning support, whenever we can, from suitable funding sources.

“There is a lack of facilities for young people in Buckingham so we have worked hard to make the youth clubs more attractive and now have around 90 young people per week using the clubs.

“A major success for the club is developing older club members into supervisors for the younger ones. Many fifth and sixth formers have become volunteers and have also done their Duke of Edinburgh awards with us. We are proud of developing our young people into young leaders!”

Many exciting activities take place at the club, ranging from activities to promote team work, games nights, first aid training, cooking, film and quiz nights and a Christmas party and disco.