Charity for vulnerable youngsters gets £475k boost

Streetlife celebrates a £475,000 grant which will help to fund its night shelter and day centre

A homeless charity that provides support for vulnerable young people in a seaside resort has been given a National Lottery grant of £475,000.

Many of the young people aged between 16 and 25 helped by the Streetlife Trust in Blackpool often find themselves with nowhere else to go.

Part of the new funding will support the running of the night shelter and cover the cost of keeping the day centre open five days a week.

The grant will be phased over the next five years.

Streetlife was established in 1984 and it provides safe spaces for young people, inspiring them to develop life skills and take up opportunities for education and employment.

The charity's chief executive Jane Hugo, who is also deputy leader of Blackpool Council, thanked the National Lottery for the funding which is called Hopes and Dreams.

She told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "At Streetlife our mantra has always been about providing a safe a friendly place where young people can feel at ease and helping young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

"It is great that we can do this and in addition to the support we provide, we would really like to find out what young people's hopes and dreams are, and to really inspire them."

Each year, an average of 300 vulnerable young people access Streetlife's services and 150 of those use the night shelter in Blackpool town centre.

The eight-bed shelter provides emergency accommodation, and the day centre is open weekdays for drop-in, a free hot meal and other support.

The charity celebrated at a special event at its base on Buchanan Street attended by volunteers and young people who access the service.

Two young people performed poetry from the anthology 'Always Moving' which was created by young people, using their own experiences as part of a project with local spoken artist Nathan Parker last summer.