A community club that supported youngsters during the depths of the coronavirus lockdown has been named as the third winner of a national award given in honour of the late Sir Captain Tom Moore.
When the pandemic hit nearly two years ago, the Ashton Vale Club for Young People didn’t simply stop supporting young people in the South Bristol suburb, just because they had to close their doors.
Instead, the youth workers at the community-based youth centres switched to a virtual youth club, and offered one-to-one support to those youth people finding the lockdown especially hard.
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The community centre also supports older people, and it was this link up, along with the work done by the club in response to the coronavirus pandemic, that has singled it out for one of the prestigious awards.
The club is just the third in the country to receive a Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector award, which recognises charities and community groups that have gone above and beyond during the pandemic.
Hannah Ingram-Moore, the daughter of the late Captain Tom, came to Ashton Vale to present the Club for Young People with their award - and along with it up to £5,000 worth of tech stuff to further improve their facilities. ”We’re absolutely thrilled that Ashton Vale Club for Young People is the third winner or the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Award,” said Lucy Saunders, Young Bristol’s Development and Fundraising Manager.
“Being able to support the local young people and community means everything to us, and it’s an honour to win this award from Virgin Media O2.
"With the prize money, we have been able to purchase iPads and other tech equipment for the club which has meant we have been able to keep members more connected, and we cannot wait for the gigabit broadband to help us to connect even more,” she said.
When the lockdown hit, and the weeks turned into months, families in Ashton Vale were sent sports packs, creative arts equipment, and internet access packs to use.
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Then, throughout the summer holidays, the club runs a school holiday programme which provides creative arts and sports activities as well as food, combating the issue for hunger during school breaks.
Captain Tom’s daughter Hannah said the Ashton Vale club was a deserved winner of the award.
“It is an honour to be announcing the third winner of the Virgin Media O2 Captain Tom Foundation Connector Award,” she said.
“Ashton Vale Club for Young People is so deserving of this award as they proved to be a vital lifeline during the pandemic. At such a distressing time for many, they ensured a community remained as one. We can’t wait to see what this vital injection of gigabit broadband and tech prizes can do for future projects,” she added.
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