Grant allows Newport hub to run afterschool sessions five days a week
A grant means a Shropshire youth café will be able to provide a 'warm bank' throughout the winter.
The Newport Youth Café Project said it has been successful in its bid for a Community Matters Grant from National Grid to provide the service at the Hub Newport this winter.
As a result, the hub can open on two additional days, meaning it is now open five afternoons a week, offering a warm, safe space after school for young people and the wider community of Newport to meet.
National Grid Electricity Distribution teamed up with Localgiving earlier this year to deliver a record £5 million of funding to help charitable organisations tackle fuel poverty in their communities, and the Newport Youth Café Project said it was delighted to secure the funding to provide the facility at their community building.
The warm bank is open to all, with affordable food and teatime deals on offer, a place to charge phones, laptops and devices free of charge, and where the community can meet and ‘keep warm’ for a while.
Councillor Tim Nelson, chair of the Newport Youth Café Project, said: “We are particularly keen to engage with the many high school students in town, who often have to wait to be collected, catch a bus or just want to spend time with their friends after school.
“The winter months are cold and dark, and we wanted there to be a warm, safe place for these youngsters to meet, where they can grab a hot drink and snack, play one of the games consoles, play ping-pong or just ‘hang out’ with their friends.
“We are planning to engage with them more in the new year and will be looking at ways of encouraging these young people to get involved and volunteer at the hub after school. In return they will receive free hospitality training that will contribute towards them finding paid part-time jobs in the future."
The Hub Newport is home to the Newport Youth Club on Monday evenings, and the Community Café from 10am to 5pm Wednesday to Friday, and is now open on Monday and Tuesday afternoons from 3pm to 5pm until March 31, running a reduced café menu.
