Ourside receives funding from UK Youth and Pears Foundation

Ourside, on Broadway Road, has received a welcome financial boost, with demand for its services increasing.

Bev Wride, centre manager for inclusion, confirmed they have received a £5,500 grant from the national charities, UK Youth and the Pears Foundation.

She said: "This funding will make a real difference and enable us to meet the current financial challenges but more importantly deliver on our purpose and ensure young people remain feeling heard through a service that consistently meets what they want and need."

READ MORE: Evesham youth centre struggling to meet rising demand and surging costs

Around 40 young people attend each of Ourside's open access session (Image: Ourside)

This funding comes after UK Youth conducted a study of more than 300 youth organisations which found that 63 per cent of them are seeing increased demand for their services.

The study, completed in March, also found that 67 per cent of youth organisations are struggling with increased operating costs, while more than half are seeing a decrease in funding.

UK Youth chief executive Ndidi Okezie said: “These figures must be a wake-up call for our country – our young people are struggling in the face of the cost-of-living crisis and they need help.

“Parents and carers are rightly concerned and are having to make difficult personal sacrifices to survive.

“Youth organisations, who provide essential support to young people, are also on their knees. The situation cannot be allowed to continue as it is.”

63 per cent of youth organisations are seeing increased demand for their services (Image: Ourside)

A separate study funded by UK Youth, of more than 1,000 16 to 25-year-olds in March, found that 36 per cent of young people are lonelier as they have cut down on socialising to save money, while one in five said the cost-of-living crisis was impacting their ability to eat regular meals.

Carly Elewell, chair of Ourside, added: “The cost of running Ourside has gone up all round, from the cost of food, to utility bills, to the costs of running any activities,” she added.

“At the same time, we see the impact directly on young people.

“More and more young people are in need of our services, with many turning up hungry, meaning we’re now providing hot meals at each session – with young people visibly less anxious after they’ve eaten.”