Ipswich ACYCLE project to support children seeking long term funding

ACYCLE was set up following "the demise of youth club provision and closure of the Ipswich Caribbean Association" whose building was demolished to create a car park

A club that aims to improve the outcomes and self-esteem of children has secured short-term funding after fears it would close last January.

ACYCLE - African and Caribbean Youth Creative Learning Experience - supports five to 11-year-olds living in Ipswich.

A new programme to prevent youngsters from becoming vulnerable to negative influences has been funded until August.

The project said it is now seeking funding for the rest of the year.

Safety First, a new project, funded by Suffolk Giving and Maurken, through the Suffolk Community Foundation, aims to "steer the children away from activities which would make them vulnerable to being drawn into anti-social behaviour, gangs, county lines and grooming", the group said.

The centre feared it would not re-open after Christmas 2022 unless it received funding.

Set up in 2019, the club said: "As with every project supported through funding, the managing team have been met with challenges in accessing financial support for long-term programmes funding."

It is now looking for long-term funding to cover planned programmes over the next three to five years.

"As we explore the funding landscape to secure financial support for this great work, we are also mindful that we have not yet secured any funding to support the work from August 2023," it added.

"We are therefore reaching out to all funding agencies, the general public and philanthropists for donations and financial assistance."