Yatton Youth Club handed £10,000 by generous stranger

The person donated the five-figure sum towards Yatton Youth Club’s £50,000 renovation appeal, which seeks to transform its Rock Road facilities and make it an even better environment for children to plan and learn in.

Youth worker Niccy Hook said: “It was quite emotional – it just appeared in our bank account.”

The club’s staff and volunteers do not know who handed them the money but wish the generous person to know how grateful they are.

Niccy said: “The whole community has been amazing and people ring with everything from a fiver (to donate) to £500.

“It really warms your cockles. It’s lush to get this kind of support.”

The youth club opened in the 1950s but cuts to funding have meant there was little surplus money left to maintain the building. North Somerset Council axed its support for youth services back in April 2012, meaning the club’s funding was significantly reduced.

Niccy said Yatton Parish Council has ‘generously’ funded its activities since, but admitted it needs the community’s help to pay for the building improvements which are desperately needed.

The first phase of the work will begin over the summer school holidays and will see the insulation improved.

Attention will then turn to improving the toilets and installing a disabled cubicle too.

The kitchen will be made bigger and it will mean cookery sessions can be run more easily.

Niccy said: “We want it to look and feel more modern.”

To make those plans possible however, she appreciates the public have to be very generous in their support of its appeal.

Several fundraisers have helped raise about £20,000 so far, including a cake sale and an open day on May 21.

The club will be continuing its fundraising efforts next month with a car wash at Yatton Methodist Church’s car park in High Street. It will run from 10am-2pm on June 24, ahead of the village carnival.

* Anyone wishing to donate to the appeal can contact Niccy by emailing youthworker.yatton@outlook.com