Crowdfunding appeal helps save Bridgnorth youth club
A flurry of activity in support of the Bridgnorth Innage Lane Youth Club appeal has taken place to secure the club's future.
A Crowdfunding appeal was launched earlier this month after Bridgnorth Town Council were unable to guarantee the club's funding and future beyond 31st March when Shropshire Council planned to end financial support.
Town Councillor Julia Buckley, who first brought the proposal to a Bridgnorth Council meeting in November to support the club, expressed disappointment that fellow councillors could only agree to set aside £7,500 towards the running costs of the club for 2021-22, not even half the predicted bill.
She said, "How can Councillors at both Town and Unitary level waste time arguing about who pays a few thousand pounds (about 2% of our total annual budget) when our young people are suffering through lockdown and need our support this year more than ever?"
When the Youth Service contract was not signed off in the February meeting, Cllr Buckley turned to the community instead and launched a crowdfund page instead to appeal for the gap funding of £12,000.
Within hours of launching the appeal, businesses and individuals were rallying to the cause and waxing lyrical about their own experiences at the club and its contribution to the town.
By the third day of the fundraising appeal, the full amount of funding was achieved and donations continue to roll in - currently at over £15,000 from over 350 individual donations, ranging from £2 to £1,500.
Cllr Buckley will now donate the first £12,000 raised to the Town Council and has proposed at the next meeting (23rd March) for the Council to confirm the contract to protect the service at the Innage Lane youth club from 1st April.
Additional donations beyond the target will be donated to the Bridgnorth Youth Partnership - a group bringing together all local youth clubs and groups in the town - so it can be shared amongst other groups who may need additional support.
Cllr Buckley added: "A huge thank you to everyone in the town for pulling together and showing their support for our young people when they need it most! What a fantastic community we live in, where everyone looks out for each other and is prepared, in such difficult financial times, to pay extra for this important facility. It's been a good week for young people in Bridgnorth."
