A Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge youth club – which was set to close at the end of this year due to a lack of funding – has this week been handed a funding lifeline by the Town Council to keep it running.
As first reported here, The Zone Youth Club at Burnham’s BAY Centre has been successfully running for over four years and was set to shut at the end of December when its funding was due to run out.
The club’s Chairman David Sinclair attended a council meeting on Monday evening (December 12th) where he appealed to councillors for a re-think on funding.
“We’re asking for funding to keep the club running until half term which will give us enough time to apply for other grants and to produce a long-term plan,” he said.
“The parents, children and community are very passionate that the club should continue running,” he added.
Town councillors voted unanimously to give the club a £1,300 grant to keep it running until the end of February.
Cllr Mike Facey backed the grant, but said it would be a “one-off grant” and cautioned: “I would give a word of warning – the group can’t expect to come back for more. There are plenty of other grant funding providers. We are not a pot of gold.”
Cllr Kate Lawson added: “Having a youth club there is so important for the town and I fully support this.”
Cllr Janet Keen also supported the grant, but asked that the club keep a “careful record of attendance numbers” so these can be reviewed in February to assess its usage.
Cllr Peter Burridge-Clayton added: “They do tremendous work down there and I very much support it.”
Town Clerk Denise Emery told the meeting: “I have been impressed that a lot of work has been done by the group and it will be taking a new direction on how it’s managed that will make a real difference.”
The youth club’s Chairman David Sinclair told Burnham-On-Sea.com after the meeting: “We are delighted and very relieved at the council’s decision – this is something for us to build on.”
The club’s Chairman David Sinclair with club members Ollie, Brandon and George at Monday’s council meeting where the fate of the club was debated
