8th June 2022
Sanctuary
A local charity has supported 80 young people from across the Rochford area.
Funding from social housing provider Sanctuary has supported Bar’N’Bus to deliver more than 130 outreach sessions in the last year, offering fun, games and advice across the Ashingdon, Hullbridge and Rayleigh areas.
Bar’N’Bus is an Essex-based charity that provides community-based youth work programmes across the south of Essex.
Working with churches, councils, voluntary organisations and schools, it offers services for young people aged 10 to 19. This includes engaging with young people on the street and in places they choose to gather, engaging them in activities and work programmes, and offering in-school mentoring.
The teams build relationships with young people over time and involve them in decisions and plans for the service’s future. This level of involvement can benefit their physical and mental health, giving young people new skills, self-esteem and helping them to enjoy time spent in their community.
Bar’N’Bus CEO, Jamie Sawtell, said: “Street-based youth work has always been part of the core offer of Bar’N’Bus. This funding has helped sustain detached youth work programmes in our local community and give young people a positive, friendly setting where they can do the things they want to do, grow together and get easy access to support, should they need it.
“We are hugely privileged to be able to work with some amazing young people and walk with them through this stage in their lives.”
Alison Kenny, Head of Neighbourhood Partnerships at Sanctuary, said: “We’re very happy to be supporting Bar’N’Bus with its valuable youth work. Developing a relationship of trust with a qualified youth worker can be transformative, helping young people feel safe and valued in their communities.”
