A BRADFORD-based charity is aiming to help disadvantaged young people make up for time lost to the pandemic by supporting them with their education, their mental and physical health and by donating books to the local community.

The Bangladeshi Youth Organisation (BYO) - which was founded in 1982 with the aim of "meeting gaps in service provision" for deprived families in Manningham - is aiming to "mitigate" the effects of the pandemic through its Read Together initiative.

The BYO has donated "a couple of hundred books" - with many more to come - to families in the local area, according to volunteer Mohammed Joynal.

Mr Joynal, who has volunteered with the charity for over 20 years, says that lockdown "has had a huge impact on young people's education", but adds that communities must "battle on" despite the challenges.

"It has been frustrating, education has been stopping and starting due to the pandemic, and a lot of people in Manningham and beyond have lost their jobs because of Covid, too. People are really struggling", he says.

"Whether you are rich or poor, it has been tough. But for areas like Manningham, which weren't in the best position before the pandemic anyway, the work we have to do is doubled or tripled.

"In 'BAME' communities, a lot of young people may not speak English as a first language, and for some young people who may have only recently come to this country, not at all. This is a real barrier, and not being at school for months is not helping their literacy levels.

"Schools are pushing them to read online, but for some families there is digital poverty and they may not have access to devices or a good internet connection. But that's why the books we've been donating are a lifeline."

The Read Together initiative has been supported by the National Literacy Trust, while Green Lane Primary School has donated books to the BYO to offer further support.

"We need to get children reading and get them back on track. We're also planning to develop a 'dads and lads' reading initiative, promoting family reading", Mr Joynal adds.

"If children don't have language and literacy skills at a young age, it's going to hold them back. The pandemic has caused the attainment gap to widen.

"We're holding extra support sessions for young people too - we were doing it over Zoom, but since 8 March the kids have been back in the centre.

"We have qualified tutors, but at the moment we are limited due to social distancing, and we must keep numbers to a limit as well.

"But we can see how much the kids have missed it. They don't want to fail their GCSEs, you can see they really want it, and that's great.

"It's easy, especially for young people, to lose motivation and to give up due to Covid. But we're trying to support children from these deprived communities. The books also provide escapism during these times - it's keeping the kids engaged.

"We also have other initiatives where we are encouraging a healthy lifestyle and getting kids to go out and be active, where possible and appropriate."

The BYO can be contacted at byo1982@hotmail.com or on 07828 820059.