Major Funding Boost for the Sulgrave Club
Centre has received grant from the King Charles III Coronation Youth Fund
Staff members outside the Sulgrave Club
September 11, 2023
The prospect of the closure of the Sulgrave Club has receded after it received a significant grant from the King Charles III Coronation Youth Fund.
It is one of 26 local organisations catering to young people that have benefited from a total in excess of £700,000 given out by the fund set up by the council.
The youth centre on Goldhawk Road is set to be given £35,896 which will allay previous concerns about the withdrawal of direct funding from the borough. The council had offered reassurances at the time that alternative sources of funding would be made available.
The Sulgrave Youth Club was founded in 1926 and moved to its current location in 1936. The inspiration for providing a Youth club for boys and young men within the local community was Edward De Stein, a founding member of the City of London brokers. Alongside a couple of friends, De Stein purchased a property in Sulgrave Road and founded the ‘Sulgrave Club.’ Since then, it has served as a youth club and today offers a very wide range of clubs and activities to local children including cooking, football, basketball, taekwondo, music production and academic clubs.
While Nick Sazeides, manager of The Sulgrave Club in Hammersmith, said, "We're very pleased to learn that H&F is continuing to support The Sulgrave Club by awarding us £35,896 towards our youth provision for young people aged 11-19 years. Our good relationship with the borough dates back decades, so we're delighted to be able to continue this partnership. The Sulgrave Club is attended by more than 125 local 11-19 year olds each week - many of whom regard the club as their 'second family'. So, this award will allow us to continue to offer young people the opportunity to take part in a range of activities while socialising with their peers."
Some concern has been expressed locally of the uncertainty of dependence on annual grants been given by the fund which was set up in April, but the council says this represents the largest ever spending on youth services in the borough and another £300,000 is set to be distributed next year.
An award of £250,000 was given to the Wormwood Scrubs Charitable Trust & Thames Valley Harriers for new floodlights to be installed at the Linford Christie Stadium in White City, as well as the re-surfacing of its 400-metre athletics track and the covered 100-metre indoor straight track.
Andrea Broughton, chair of Thames Valley Harriers based at the Linford Christie Stadium in White City, said, “This will enable us to go ahead with the much-needed refurbishment of our outdoor running track and our covered sprinting area and enable us to install new floodlight facilities. We organise training and coaching sessions for children and young people on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays each week, and this refurbishment will ensure that young people in the borough will continue to benefit from the athletics coaching that our club can offer them."
Several other local organisations in the area also benefited including the Masbro Youth Club/UPG (£35,470), Phoenix Youth Club (£21,400), Nourish Hub (£16,040), JK Arts/Masbro Centre (£8,880), White City Theatre Project (£6,000), QPR in the Community (£5,981).
Cllr Stephen Cowan, Leader of H&F, said, “Supporting young people to have the brightest possible future is not just essential for them, but it’s the best way of improving society for everyone.
“That’s why we’re investing a record amount into youth services and youth centres – which stands in stark contrast to the Government’s approach of slashing funding to youth services by over 70 per cent in the past 10 years.”
The Coronation Youth Fund reflects HM The King’s lifelong dedication through the Prince’s Trust to improving the lives of disadvantaged young people. Half of the fund will be allocated to sports and leisure infrastructure projects.
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