Plymouth 'chaos' warning as youth charity shuts

The charity said it was "proud of the positive difference" it had made

A charity that has been helping young people in Plymouth for nearly 10 years has closed due to lack of funding.

Barefoot Project, which has worked with children in Ernesettle, St Budeaux and Whitleigh, said on Facebook that grant applications had been "unsuccessful".

Its work ended in March and the charity said it was "proud of the positive difference" it had made.

One local resident said the closure would cause "chaos", leaving young people with nowhere to go.

More than 530 young people were involved with the charity in 2022

Peter Rawlings said: "It's going to be chaos without this.

"The kids are going to be on the streets, causing havoc, which is what they don't realise.

"Where else are they supposed to go?"

Charity director Richard Marsh said he believed Barefoot had made "a huge difference".

"When we first started here in around 2014 there had been an amazing amount of anti-social behaviour," he said.

"Local police officers were telling us the calls kept coming in and within two years that faded away to next to nothing."

'Positive difference'

Barefoot, which worked with young, vulnerable and disadvantaged people in activities, projects and events, said 539 young people had been involved in 2022, the largest number yet.

"Life is very tough for small charities at the best of times but things have got much worse in the past three years," the charity said on Facebook.

"Although we worked right through the pandemic it had a very negative impact on our staff and young people and our ability to develop Barefoot's future income.

"However, we're also proud of the positive difference we've made to those and many more young people's lives."

The charity's base in Ernesettle was a source of advice and help for young people

The charity's two senior youth workers had formed a community interest company to continue some youth work provision on a small scale.

Aidan Webb, who attended the charity's base in Ernesettle, told BBC News that it felt "like a second home".

He said: "You could come here and talk to anyone. It was a lovely place to be.

"It also helped me with getting jobs, writing CVs and applying for apprenticeships."

Another Barefoot client, Kiera, said: "When we were younger we were setting fires. We had nothing to do so we would cause trouble.

"We were given this space and now it's being taken away."

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].