Investing in Spaces and Places Funding – Gosberton Youth Centre

Asda Boston’s Community and Customer Champion, Stephen Bromby, presents volunteers from Gosberton Youth Centre with a cheque for £18,650 from Asda Foundation’s Investing in Spaces and Places fund.

In September, Asda Foundation announced that £1.2 million has been awarded to 65 community projects to transform community spaces and places where people can come together and thrive.

The 65 grants awarded range between £10,000 and £25,000, and will go towards the improvement of community spaces in local communities across the UK.

Applications were received from groups throughout the country who needed funding to use for renovations, repairs or transforming outdoor spaces, with projects ranging from upgrading a community kitchen and café, to roof repairs, to refurbishing a whole community building to improve accessibility, to creating an outdoor nature and sensory trail.

One successful application came from Gosberton Youth Centre which has been awarded £18,650.

Gosberton Youth Centre is primarily for young people, aged from seven to the age of sixteen, from all backgrounds and aims to help them grow to full maturity as individuals and members of society. However, the building has been neglected over the years and a great deal of work needs to be completed on the three toilet areas which are very old and in need of repair. The toilet area has not been updated for over thirty years, the flooring is in a poor condition, difficult to clean and the whole block requires complete modernisation, including the installation of a baby change area.

The £18,650 grant from Asda Foundation will also aim to make the toilets more water efficient, using the latest technology, and reduce power consumption with the installation of new LED lighting.

“These wonderful grants have enabled a dedicated group of volunteers to save the Youth Centre from what could have been demolition. We now have well over a hundred children from the local area on our books for our Youth Hubs and have also run community hubs in our revitalised building. The toilet upgrade is one of the last projects needed to complete the upgrade and we are immensely grateful to the Asda Foundation for their generous grant.”

Richard Baker, Treasurer and Trustee of Gosberton Youth Centre

“Every community needs a safe inclusive space for people to be together and be themselves. Community spaces can be a lifeline, but we know many are in desperate need of funding to maintain, develop and repair these spaces to enable community groups to continue delivering their vital services and activities. That’s where Asda Foundation can help with funding. We want to continue playing our part in uniting communities and reducing loneliness by improving community spaces for people to be together.

“Nationally, community investment is at an all-time low and the challenges being faced in communities are complex and bigger than ever. It is often small, grassroots groups, like Gosberton Youth Centre, which become a lifeline for many, but funding is needed to ensure the vital spaces from which they operate don’t vanish from local communities and are supported to ensure these spaces are here not only for today, but for generations to come.”

Stephen Bromby, Community and Customer Champion at Asda Boston

“At Asda, we know that small grassroots organisations play a vital role in their community, making positive change and improving people’s lives every day, but the challenge for many is having the appropriate space to bring people together to deliver this fantastic work. We know our communities are having a tough time right now with the cost-of-living crisis, which is further increasing inequalities and the isolation experienced following the pandemic. These amazing grassroots groups understand the needs in their community and are constantly adapting to meet those needs.

“Community groups and our wider research is clearly telling us telling us that having safe, inclusive spaces to meet, learn, celebrate and come together builds connection and resilience in their community. The challenge for many of these groups is having the affordable space to bring people together to deliver this fantastic work – that’s why we’ve invested £1.2 million in breathing new life into community spaces across the UK”

Stuart Kenny, General Store Manager at Asda Boston