A successful scheme for borough youngsters is to be extended this year thanks to key employers.
Basingstoke council has teamed up with Kingfisher Housing Association and biopharmaceutical company Shire to fund the Summer Streetz school holiday activity programme this summer. The scheme offers a range of free evening activity sessions for 11 to 17 year olds aimed at stopping boredom spilling over into community nuisance.
The project was trialled in Brighton Hill last year and saw a 35per cent drop in anti-social behaviour during the five week period. Activities ranged from dodgeball and table tennis to ‘chill-out times. Now Buckskin, Oakridge, Popley, South Ham, Tadley and Whitchurch – as well as Brighton Hill – will benefit.
Basingstoke council’s cabinet member for Community Safety, Cllr Clive Sanders, said: “Residents consistently tell us in surveys they want for more young people to do and that is exactly what we want to provide. This expansion of a successful summer activities programme shows how the new community development team is already making a difference.
“We look forward to more communities benefiting from Summer Streetz’s proven success in diverting young people from anti-social behaviour in the long school holidays.”
Shire put forward £15,000 funding for the scheme.
Senior Vice President, Jessica Mann, said: “Our purpose as a company is to enable people with life-altering conditions to lead better lives. In providing the funding for Summer Streetz, we are pleased to help ensure that young people in the Basingstoke area have fun activities to keep them occupied during the long summer holidays,”
Kingfisher Housing added £5,000. Luke Bingham, Assistant Managing Director, added: “Kingfisher is an integral part of the community here in Basingstoke and we are pleased to be partnering the borough council and sponsoring the 2010 Summer Streetz programme. The young people of today may well be out future borough residents and through a fun series of activities we will be able to engage with them in the communities where they live.
