Corona Virus
Pop-up summer play scheme funded by Cramlington Town Council has been hailed a success
“It was just brilliant”…that’s the verdict of one parent whose child visited the Cramlington Voluntary Youth Project (CVYP) Pop-Up Activity Bus that was funded by Cramlington Town Council.
Pop-up activities were held in ten locations over the six-week summer holiday period thanks to a £5000 contribution from the town council.
Over 250 youngsters took part in the activities which targeted the 5-18 age group and the sessions were held at ten different locations.
The pop-ups included sessions at locations chosen because of accessibility for people with disabilities and also for young carers. For these groups the sessions worked well, offering outside activities which helped users feel more confident and families felt safe sending their young people to them.
Cramlington Town Council’s Youth Network Development Coordinator gave Outreach and Detached Youth Work training which included delivering activities and providing working practices that conformed to government guidelines re COVID-19 and youngsters were asked to give track and trace data.
All activities were socially distanced with sanitising stations, individual activity packs and all areas of contact being regularly disinfected.
The scheme received a very positive response from the local community.
One new resident welcomed it as a way her daughter could make new friends.
Another parent stated “The kids were at a loss through the holidays and they had a great time with CVYP and enjoyed taking part in the range of activities.”
Activities included dancing and music, a variety of sports including football, badminton and archery, team games and craft sessions.
Following on from the success of the summer scheme, CTC has given a further £3000 which will enable the scheme to run until the year end.
The new pop-ups will move to the weekends and evenings and expand geographically to reach more young people.
Some of the activities will be run as workshops and opportunities will be provided to gain accreditation through the Duke of Edinburgh and Arts Awards schemes.
Pre-registration through CVYP is required for all the pop-up sessions.
Cramlington Town Council’s Youth Network Development Coordinator Steve Beaty said “It’s great news that this scheme will be able to continue. Even though schools are back, youngsters are still finding the COVID-19 regulations challenging and these pop-ups will allow them to have evening and weekend fun in a safe and well-managed environment.
