Inspiration in a cup

I am just back from visiting the Leatherhead Youth Project. In short- they are still doing astounding work.

The last 18 months has seen some rapid growth for LYP in terms of young people attending their projects (over 200 unique visits per month, up 30%) and their work.
They are now also recognised both locally and countywide as a leading deliverer of high quality youth work.

Never have they been more aware of the local needs of the community in these difficult economic times, whether it's through finding out about terrible home situations through many of the vulnerable young people they meet every day or through the '2011 census stats' for Leatherhead North that paint a bleak picture. One of their biggest challenges is the low % of young people achieving 5+ A*-C (including Maths & English) GCSE- only 37.2% compared to a county average of 61.4%. Another appalling statistic for Leatherhead North is that 1 in 5 of our children live in poverty- twice the district average.

Despite the challenges the team have succeeded and gone from strength to strength, opening the All Saints coffee bar which helps young people learn business and customer service skills. Martin (right) who manages it is 19 and a former user of the centre. He has trained 15 young people since opening in January- and aims to make this 100 by the end of the year.

Andy Gill, the head of the team, is up for an award that recognises their achievements and will help them make a strong case for funding and support from local businesses. More importantly, he deserves this.

Please, as soon as you can-  take a moment to vote for Andy here.