Well……not quite……but, Great news for the Leys! We’re absolutely delighted to share that The National Lottery Community Fund is awarding Leys Community Development Initiative £20,000 to help our community continue to thrive.
This support means £10,000 per year for the next two years, dedicated to keeping our CDI evening youth sessions running every Monday (5–7pm) and Wednesday (4–6pm) starting again this month, September.
With this funding, and the ongoing support of our brilliant partners at Peabody Housing, Oxford City Council, and Oxfordshire County Council, we can continue offering a warm, safe space for local young people all year round. A place to:
- meet friends and make new ones
- enjoy sports, games and creative activities
- learn, socialise and grow
- get help with homework
- simply feel welcome, supported and part of something positive
After a summer where 131 different young people took part in our free daily holiday programme, it’s vital that this support continues beyond school breaks and thanks to the National Lottery, it will.
We’ve already shared the news with some of the young people before they headed back to school, and their reactions said it all:
“Quality!” – Louis ……
“Brilliant! I hope the same staff as the summer will be working.” – Sophia
And
Jacob, a young man of very few words, simply said“Cool.”
Over the next two years, CDI will continue fundraising, building partnerships, and working with other youth organisations to create development pathways but this core funding is truly transformative.
We are deeply grateful. And we can’t wait to welcome our young people back this month.
