MORE than £80,000 in total has been awarded to YMCA St Helens and Wargrave House School.

The pair have been selected among hundreds across the country to win a portion of the £380 million Youth Investment Fund and £12 million has been fast-tracked to youth services where supply is currently far short of meeting demand.

This will help to level up access to services, trusted youth workers and dedicated facilities for young people.

The funding will help to expand the reach and range of services on offer, meet demand and reduce running costs. It will be used to cover small-scale capital improvements such as providing new laptops to youth groups, small redevelopments of buildings and facilities, and improving transport, such as providing a new minibus for a youth club so they can keep young people safe and extend activities beyond their local area.

YMCA St Helens intend to use their £34,259 to fund CCTV, IT equipment, furnishings, a TV and sound system, kitchen and sports/arts/activity equipment, and a case management system.

This will be used to create youth-friendly spaces for children and young people with poor mental health.

Meanwhile special school, Wargrave House School will use their £ £47,992 grant to fund a minibus and van. It will help develop skills and resilience through access to outdoor activities, including overnight camping and DofE, for children and young people with autism.

Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Civil Society, said: "We want every young person, no matter where they're from, to have the chance to get the best start in life.

“Today we are firing the starting gun on the rollout of our National Youth Guarantee and putting more money into improving access to youth services where it is most needed.”

Applications for funding were assessed by BBC Children in Need as an Intermediary Grant Maker.

Today’s announcement forms part of the Government’s ‘National Youth Guarantee’ that will ensure young people right across England are given access to more activities, trips away from home and volunteering opportunities, backed by a £560 million investment.

The application process for the remaining £368 million tranche of the Youth Investment Fund is expected to begin in summer 2022. Youth services across 45 local authorities and over 600 district wards in the most deprived parts of England will be eligible to apply.