FOUR local groups that provide support and services to disadvantaged children have been awarded almost £184,000.

BBC Children in Need has announced the latest awards from its November 2019 fundraiser, and several Bradford groups will majorly benefit from the donations made to the charity from people across the country.

One project to be awarded is Step 2 Young People’s Health, which will use a three-year grant of £29,846 to deliver a counselling service to young people who have experienced a range of issues such as bereavement or self-harm which have impacted their mental health.

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Ravenscliffe Community Association has been awarded a grant of £29,241 to deliver a holiday playscheme to disadvantaged children and young people in the area.

The project will run throughout the school holidays and give the children and young people the opportunity to take part in physical and creative activities, as well providing breakfast and lunch. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, at present the grant is contributing towards the provision of activity packs that can be carried out in the home and delivery of a hot meal daily upon request.

Buttershaw based Sandale Community Development Trust will get a three-year grant of £114,751 that it will use to deliver after school and evening youth sessions to young people who are living in one of the more disadvantaged areas of Bradford.

The project will help engage local young people in activities as well as providing one-to-one support that will help to develop young people’s confidence and self-esteem, improve their skills and raise their aspirations for the future.

Another project to be awarded in this grant round is Bradford Moor Play and Support Services. The group has received a grant of £9,933 to develop and create a community garden for children and young people who are living in an area where many families live in deprived conditions.

It will deliver workshops that will help children to transform an old piece of wasteland into a community garden. The programme will help the children to learn about the environment, growing plants, vegetables and flowers which will develop their confidence, knowledge and skills, improve their physical health and raise their aspirations for the future.

Amjid Hussain, Director at Bradford Moor Play and Support Services said: “We’re delighted that we’ve been awarded this funding which will enable us to transform this piece of wasteland into a community garden whilst developing the children and young people’s skills and improving their health at the same time.”

Elizabeth Myers, Regional Head of the North & South of England at BBC Children in Need said: “We’re delighted to have awarded new grants to these projects in Bradford, which demonstrate how our grants make a positive difference to children and young people’s lives.”

Simon Antrobus, Chief Executive of BBC Children in Need, said: “During these exceptional times I am delighted to be awarding funding which will positively impact young lives when they need it most. An enormous thank you must go to our incredible supporters, without whom these grants simply wouldn’t be possible.”