A Shropshire youth charity has marked another successful year with a special celebration event that saw young people travel from across the county to take part.
SYA – All About Youth held the event at The Lodge, its headquarters in Shrewsbury, welcoming trustees, staff, Lord Lieutenant Anna Turner and dozens of young people from all over Shropshire.
The celebration coincided with the release of SYA’s annual report which highlighted the impact of the charity’s work to empower young people across Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin through access to quality and affordable youth provision.
Richard Parkes, chief executive of SYA, said: “It has been another amazing year for SYA and we were delighted to welcome so many guests at our celebration event. Our thanks to all who attended and for taking time out from their busy schedules to be with us.
“During the last year more than 8,600 young people have attended weekly youth provision supported by SYA, including Scouts, so it was a great opportunity to celebrate such a busy year.
“Overall, youth work sessions over the past year equated to nearly 31,000 hours, with the voluntary contribution to youth provision delivered by SYA valued at an incredible £7.8 million – which really highlights the immense social and economic impact of our community-led youth work.
“In addition, nearly 150 people aged under 18 have contributed as volunteers during the last year – gaining valuable skills and experiences while being able to give something back to their communities.
“They have been supported by more than 200 paid youth work staff and 5,000 adults – who include members and volunteers – all of whom help us sustain and continue to grow youth provision.
“So much has happened this year and we look forward to continuing the vital work we do within the community, which is why we are appealing for more volunteers and trustees to come forward to help us continue to deliver our services to young people.
“Like all charities we rely on donations, sponsorship and other fundraising activities, so we are also calling on businesses and individuals to please consider us when thinking about choosing a charity of the year or holding a fundraiser for a worthy cause.”
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