Funding community projects - Grove Park Youth Club

We’re funding 25 community projects across Lewisham with money from our borough-wide NCIL fund. Nearly £900k is being invested, with an additional £260k secured in match funding.

We spoke to Rob from Grove Park Youth Club to find out more about how they will be using this funding.

How will you be using this funding?

The Rio Ferdinand Foundation and Grove Park Youth Club Building Preservation Trust (GPYC BPT) are working together to rebuild a vibrant and inclusive community hub for children and young people from across Grove Park, Whitefoot, Downham and Lee Green.

This partnership will see a range of sessions delivered from the recently reopened Grove Park Youth Club, including sports, arts, media, wellbeing and educational activities.

Why is this work so important in Lewisham?

The closure of Grove Park Youth Club was a huge loss for the local community. It took many years of hard work by the volunteer-led GPYC BPT to get the youth club reopened and working again.

After 18 months of lockdowns and social distancing, we must rebuild social connections within our communities and that is precisely what this partnership work aims to do. As well as rebuilding these relationships, we will work with young people to support their emotional health and wellbeing, teach them new skills, build up their confidence and improve their future opportunities.

How can the wider community help support your work?

There are lots of ways for the community to get involved and support the work happening at Grove Park Youth Club.

We are keen to hear from volunteers who can help staff, maintain and improve the building, as GPYC BPT is a volunteer-led organisation. We want the community to take pride in their building and would welcome any help with decorating and improving the building for our members.

Our young people are keen to learn a range of new skills – from practical life skills like DIY to creative talents such as DJing. We would love to hear from any volunteers who are keen to support with teaching new skills.

Find out more about Grove Park Youth Club and how you can help support their work.

Photo courtesy of Rob Clayton