Stockport's R Time youth network has won almost £300,000 of National Lottery funding for three years. Its free youth takeover is at Stockroom on 6 November.

Youth clubs and projects across Stockport will share almost £300,000 of National Lottery money over the next three years. The council announced the grant on Wednesday (Stockport Council).

The money will pay for the R Time Network, which brings local youth organisations together to run activities, youth work and support in communities across the borough.

Who won it

Life Leisure secured the grant, working with the council and Sector 3. It comes from The National Lottery Community Fund’s Reaching Communities programme.

What the money pays for

The council says the funding will:

  • give young people more chances to try new activities and get support
  • pay for youth work in communities across the borough
  • set up a youth shadow board, where young people help decide what is on offer
  • feed that board’s views into Stockport’s Youth Advisory Board

The council says the shadow board will also help young people build skills and confidence.

A free event today

The news lands during National Youth Work Week, which runs from 2 to 8 November. To mark it, R Time is holding a youth takeover at Stockroom today, Friday 6 November, from 3.30pm to 6.30pm. Young people can try activities, meet local organisations and find out what support is available across Stockport.

Stockroom is the council’s creative and cultural centre in Merseyway, with a library, the town’s archives and an events space (Stockport Council).

Councillor Colin Macalister, the council’s cabinet member for children, families and education, said the funding “will help R Time reach more young people, bring more free activities and support into communities, and ensure young people’s voices remain at the heart of the programme”.

What it means for you

  • Have a teenager at home? The Stockroom takeover is free and runs until 6.30pm today.
  • Run a youth group? R Time is a network of local organisations; Life Leisure and Sector 3 are the partners named in the grant.
  • Want a say? The youth shadow board is how young people will shape the activities on offer. The council has not yet said how to join.

Sources