Street-based support available for vulnerable young people in Banbury

A community group which supports vulnerable young people has received a funding boost to run a street-based youth project in Banbury.

Banbury Youth and Community Enterprise (BYCE) will deliver the project with funding from Sanctuary Housing, Thames Valley Police, Cherwell District Council and Cherwell Safer Communities Partnership.

Street-based support will now be on offer in areas where young people congregate, including the town centre and the Brighter Futures wards of Banbury - and will continue during lockdown.

'Detached' youth work is an opportunity for BYCE to engage with hard to reach young people who do not attend youth centres.

Charlie Heritage, Sanctuary’s neighbourhood partnership manager, said: “We are proud to work in partnership with BYCE and to help them set up this important project.

“The team of youth workers are highly skilled at engaging with young people and supporting them to achieve their potential.”

Selma Wakeman, BYCE’s director, added: “We are excited to secure the funding which will really help us get this project off the ground.

“Young people are very transient when they are out and move to different areas of the town through the evening, therefore we are planning a consistent and all-weather approach.

“We hope that engaging with young people will reduce the risk of them becoming involved in exploitation and encourage them to find a way to fit back into the community.”

BYCE is a community interest company which provides informal education and activities in the community. For more information, visit BYCE’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/banburyyouth

This project is part-funded by Sanctuary’s Community Investment Fund, supporting projects which benefit Sanctuary residents and their communities.