Friday Fun Club secures funding to continue support

Local community group, Friday Fun Youth Club, has been awarded almost £8,000 in National Lottery funding to support its work with young people in Westbury. 

The group, based in Westbury Parish Hall, will use the money to continue its work supporting local young people.

Friday Fun Youth Club has been running since January 2023 and is supported by two youth workers and three volunteers. It was founded by All Saints’ Church in response to anti-social behaviour around the church and churchyard during 2022.

The group runs for approximately 48 weeks a year, every Friday in Westbury Parish Hall, from 6.30 pm to 8.30 pm. The new funding from The National Lottery Community Fund, which distributes money raised by National Lottery players for good causes and is the largest community funder in the UK, will allow these sessions to continue and develop, meeting the needs of young people in Westbury and the surrounding villages.

Beth Thomas, founder of the Friday Fun Youth Club, said, “We’re delighted that The National Lottery Community Fund has recognised our work in this way. Now, thanks to National Lottery players, and with our partners in the project, 4Youth (SouthWest), we will be able to continue supporting young people in Westbury. This is important because it provides a safe space for young people to learn social skills and enjoy time together at a time when so many struggle with loneliness and mental health issues.”

The National Lottery Community Fund recently launched its strategy, ‘It Starts with Community,’ which will underpin its efforts to distribute at least £4 billion of National Lottery funding by 2030. As part of this, the funder has four key missions: to support communities to come together, be environmentally sustainable, help children and young people thrive, and enable people to live healthier lives.

To find out more, visit www.TNLCommunityFund.org.uk.