Youth charity calls for help to fund seaside trip for youngsters
A Shropshire charity is calling on people to help fund a memorable experience to the seaside for youngsters who might otherwise miss out on the chance of a day-trip away this summer.
SYA - All About Youth is asking individuals and businesses to donate £25 which will pay for one place, and the charity hopes to raise enough to cover the cost of hiring a coach and taking 52 youngsters away for the day.
Many of the young people who access support and services from SYA come from families that can't afford the luxury of a summer holiday, while some will have never been to the seaside.
It is hoped that the fundraising campaign will ensure these youngsters are able to experience the joys that come with a seaside trip that so many of us take for granted.
SYA seeks to ensure that young people in Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin have access to quality, affordable and appropriate youth provision to improve their lives.
The charity achieves this through its own delivery of youth work and by supporting more than 120 voluntary youth clubs, with 500-plus volunteers.
David Bishop, a trustee of the charity, said: “Trips to the seaside conjure up great memories for most of us, long hot days of summer spent paddling in the sea, playing on the beach, making sandcastles and enjoying ice cream and fish and ships.
“They are experiences that stay with us for a lifetime - but some of our young people today are missing out on the opportunity to make those memories for themselves.
“SYA is doing a great job providing youth clubs and other services locally, particularly for those in more challenged areas, but it is sad to think that many of the young people who come to these clubs won't get to go to the sea unless someone outside their family organises it for them. They simply don't have the means.
“That is why SYA has launched a fundraising campaign to raise money for a trip to the seaside so that they can create their very own memorable experience.
“We need help to achieve this and are asking businesses, or anyone else who wants to get involved, to donate £25 to fund each place.
“Our target is £1,210 which will hire a coach and take 52 young people to the sea. It would be amazing if we could achieve this as it would mean so much to all those young people concerned.
“We are extremely grateful to those people who have already committed financial support for the trip and would love to hear from anyone else who would like to donate. It really is for a great cause.”
One such supporter is Dean Suter, of R1 Construction, who said the trip was a fantastic initiative which would be greatly appreciated by the young people involved.
He said: “I would urge as many people as possible to donate to this project, which will really make a difference to these young people’s lives.
“I can relate as growing up my family had very little, and I didn’t leave Shropshire until my late teens.
“It is a beautiful place to live, but there is so much of the world to explore, and I would’ve loved the opportunity to go to the seaside!”
The trip will take place under the supervision of SYA’s qualified youth workers and that donation of £25 will also cover the cost of ice cream and fish and chips for each young person.
Further information can be obtained by emailing info@sya.org.uk or calling 01743 730005, and donations can be made by visiting the JustGiving page at justgiving.com/page/sya-seaside-trip.
