Positive Futures continues to inspire young people to become involved in sports and leisure in the borough through developing exciting opportunities for them to participate in.

The project, which began in 2003, was originally managed by NACRO and aims to encourage young people who are at risk of exclusion from school, to participate in various sport and leisure activities acquiring the necessary skills for a career in the sport and leisure industry.

Positive Futures is funded to work in and around the five most deprived wards in the Great Yarmouth area which are: Magdalen, Cobholm and Lichfield, Nelson, Regent and Northgate.  The project works with around two hundred young people a week who either live or attend a school in one of the five wards.  The aim is to deliver sport and health related projects in local schools, other youth groups and alternate providers of education.

In April 2007, management of the project was taken over by the Great Yarmouth Sport and Leisure Trust, which was set up to take over the running of the Marina Centre and includes Trustees from  both the public and private sector, including the borough council. It is the aim of the trust to build on the excellent work of NACRO using sport and leisure as the catalyst for steering young people towards education, training and employment.

Marie Hartley, the Borough Council’s, Manager for Culture, Sport and Leisure and also secretary for the Great Yarmouth Sports Partnership, which secured funding for the Positive Futures Project, added:” This is a valuable community project, which provides exciting opportunities for young people to engage in sport and leadership training and is an excellent example of what can be achieved through Partnership working.”

So far the scheme has trained around thirty level one sports leaders and a further seventy young people have completed the Young Leaders award.  Project organisers hope to be able to continue working with current groups as well as starting new projects with the help of volunteers.

For further information contact Marie Hartley, Service Manager Culture, Leisure and Sport on 01493 846354 or Jenny Darby, Sport Project Worker on 07727112169.