Rochdale project awarded £30,000 from BBC Children in Need

Children at last year's summer playscheme at Deeplish Community Centre

A local project working with disadvantaged children and young people in Rochdale has been awarded a new grant of £30,000 by BBC Children in Need. 

The new funding award – made possible following BBC Children in Need’s 2019 Appeal in November – will support the delivery of vital services to young people in the area and means that the charity now has more than £500,000 invested locally. 

Deeplish Community Centre Association has been awarded a three-year grant of £30,000 to deliver a weekly junior youth club and a summer playscheme for children and young people who live locally.

The project will deliver sessions in arts and crafts, drama and photography, healthy lifestyles and sports which will enable the children and young people to access informal and fun learning opportunities which will develop their confidence and self-esteem, encourage them to learn and gain new skills and build positive friendships.

Sohail Ahmad, Operations Manager at Deeplish Community Centre Association, said: “We’re so pleased to hear that we have been awarded  this new funding from BBC Children in Need which will enable us to support the children and young people in our community for the next three years and make a real positive impact on their lives.” 

Speaking of the new award, Elizabeth Myers Regional Head North & South of England at BBC Children in Need said: “We are extremely pleased to have awarded this new funding to Deeplish Community Centre Association and we look forward to seeing the difference that they make to children and young people’s lives in the coming months and years.”

Following The Big Night In appeal in April, which brought BBC Children in Need and Comic Relief together for the first time, BBC Children in Need launched a number of dedicated funding programmes to support local charities across the UK who are providing essential help to children and young people during the current crisis. 

BBC Children in Need is committed to supporting disadvantaged children and young people who are facing additional challenges as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, and further funding opportunities will be announced in due course.

Across Rochdale, BBC Children in Need is currently funding nine projects to a value of more than £505,000.