In Winsford, teenagers had nowhere to go in the evenings resulting in incidents of antisocial behaviour, aggression and violence, drug and alcohol use, and even exploitation and radicalisation. Adding isolation, homeschooling and closure of all recreational activities exacerbated this problem.
For many young people, 2020 was beginning to represent a turning point onto a very negative path. Winsford Youth and Community Forum received a small grant to set up a Saturday Night project, providing a safe place for these young people to divert them from risky behaviours.
They paid two youth workers, and offered food and resources, as well as meeting all the covid safety guidelines. An intervention like this may be cheap to set up but the impact can be life-changing, proving that even the smallest one-off donation really does make a difference.