Support network Pandemic pressures may be easing, but for London Youth challenges remain. We take a closer look at their residential centres, Youth Board and the importance of their charity partner, KFH
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hen we spoke to London Youth’s CEO, Rosemary Watt-Wyness, for the first issue of London Property Matters, their much-loved two residential centres were still shut to the public. “It felt so sad that, at a time when we knew that many young Londoners were stuck in really small places during the intense lockdowns, we were not able to open our centres to them,” Watt-Wyness recalls. London Youth is a charity that seeks to improve the lives of young people in the Capital, supporting youth centres and giving them many opportunities that they may not have otherwise had. The residential centres are one part of this – located in Ashdown Forest and Amersham – where young people get to experience a whole host of outdoor activities. However, lockdowns forced their doors to be shut, but the costs of running did not stop at the same time.
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“Essentially the centres pay their own way,” WattWyness explains. “We still had a lot of the costs, but none of the money coming in.” It was where the support from London Youth’s partners, such as KFH, proved to be invaluable. “KFH have really stood by us in a difficult period,” Watt-Wyness says. Thankfully, both centres are now open again and Watt-Wyness’s pride in what they offer London’s young people is abundantly clear. “They just have an astonishing experience, with the adventure activities and also just being in a wholly different environment.” At the time of writing, most Covid-19 restrictions have been eased and the focus is now turning elsewhere – in particular, away from London. “The government’s levelling up agenda essentially means there’s no real support for the youth sector in London,” Watt-Wyness laments. “There’s a real risk of London’s young people being abandoned by central government. Because London is a successful city, we forget it is also the place in the UK with
LONDON PROPERTY MATTERS · kfh.co.uk
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