A doting mum plays in the sand with her children, but this is no beach holiday.

The family are from an area in Bradford where four out of five children come from low-income families.

Viewers of the BBC’s Poor Kids documentary saw eight-year-old Courtney give an insight into her life on Canterbury estate.

“We make our own fun,” says Courtney’s mum as she plays in the sand with Courtney and her other two daughters.

There are no buckets and spades. They collect sand in empty water bottles.

Beach holidays and activities are out of the question for families struggling to afford food.

But behind the scenes, charities such as One In A Million have been providing innovative programmes for the young people here, and are making a significant difference to their lives.

The charity was established five years ago by Bradford City’s former assistant manager Wayne Jacobs and Matt Band, who had been involved in community initiatives on the estate.

They met through sport and shared the same vision – to enable young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to achieve their full potential through sports, arts and enterprise programmes.

The charity began with a football project for young people on the estate. “We started off with a football tournament with seven children and five volunteers,” says Matt, chief executive of One In A Million.

“We got them engaged through the football, and it has gone on from there.”

The pair started with nothing and dedicated their own time, but gradually funding came through various grants. They have also developed strong partnerships with local schools, including Horton Park Primary, Youth Services, the charity Save The Children and The Arc – the local community centre.

One In A Million – ‘because every child is one in a million’ – is now delivering programmes in inner city areas of Bradford, working with more than 750 youngsters in places among the most deprived in the country.

While Matt welcomes the issue of child poverty being raised through the Poor Kids documentary and also giving a voice to the youngsters, he doesn’t want to see the area stigmatised.

He hopes raising the profile of Canterbury through the programme will provide a foundation for change.

“We welcome the debate being opened, but there is a much bigger picture here and a story to tell,” says Matt.

“The documentary shows a Canterbury family in a poor environment. That is representative of some homes and families on the estate, but not all.

“Many of the families we have regular contact with do well, have jobs and the children thrive at school and in after-school activities such as the One In A Million Kidz Club and our Streetwise football tournaments.

“Many people from across Bradford already know we have worked diligently over the last five years on the Canterbury estate, and across many other disadvantaged areas of Bradford.

“We have seen significant improvement in many young people’s lives through our work and the work of our partners in these areas. We work closely with Bradford Youth Services and Save The Children and much of our work in Canterbury is sponsored by BBC Children In Need.

“In our time on the estate, £77,000 was raised by the children on the estate and One In A Million, with Youth Services support to build a multi-use games area at the ARC community centre.”

Matt explains that, in association with their sponsors, they have also launched many activities including the Kidz Club (after school sessions) three times a week for seven to 11-year-olds; Youth Club twice a week for 12 to 19-year-olds; multi-sports mentoring on Fridays, and weekly PE sessions in partnership with Horton Park Primary school.

“I am hoping the children’s voices are heard. The only reason we exist is because of those children, so the money is needed to help. But it isn’t just about money, it’s about the children – they are the focus of it, and it’s giving them that voice.”

He says they want people to help in finding a solution to the problem of child poverty. Anyone who wants to become a partner can visit the website oneinamillion.org.uk/get-involved or by calling (01274) 723439 or e-mailing info@oiam.org.