Bentswood Junior Youth Group in Haywards Heath saved by £6,000 grant from town council

The group for ages seven to 11 was facing closure in September due to a lack of funding for youth services across the country.

The special award means it can continue for the next six months.

Anna Sharkey, development officer for the Bentswood Hub, said:

“I cannot thank Haywards Heath Town Council enough for helping us to save this invaluable resource for the young members of our community.

“The Bentswood Junior Youth Group provides a safe and nurturing environment for young people to learn skills and to build friendships and resilience.

“Young people are given opportunities to be heard and to explore their full potential through a range of youth led activities and projects, supported by professional youth workers.”

Haywards Heath town mayor Howard Mundin called the youth group ‘a wonderful asset for the town’.

He said: “The skills, resilience and friendships that these children gain from being members of this group will encourage them to become young leaders and role models for the younger members of the club and will provide them the life skills they need to go forward with confidence in the next stage of their lives.”

Bentswood Councillor Rachel Cromie said: “The role of the Town Council is to be representative of its community and to understand its needs and as such, an extra ordinary meeting of the Council was held to discuss how we could save this vital asset for the young people in our community.”