YOUNG Melksham is among eight organisations from Wiltshire who have received a boost to their work with young people.

The youth group has been given a £4,942 grant by the Wiltshire Community Foundation towards the cost of a community voucher engagement scheme.

The aim is to get young people engaged in voluntary activities and, through the vouchers, in new leisure activities.

Based at the Canberra Centre in Spa Road, Young Melksham has more than 200 members aged between eight and 18, as well as young people with special educational needs aged up to 25.

Chairman of trustees, Cllr Jon Hubbard, said: “Young Melksham would like to develop their existing Peer Leader programme and introduce a new volunteering scheme for young members.

“We would also like to create a community team of young people who participate in voluntary activities such as litter picking, weeding community gardens or tree planting.

“We are also keen to extend and expand our inter-generational work by running extra Contact The Elderly tea parties and we would like to explore running a series of skills-sharing events where our young people can show older people how to use devices such as iPads and computers and in exchange the older people share life skills such as money management and basic maintenance.”

In exchange for volunteering the young people will be given vouchers to be exchanged for activities at the Canberra or on trips and outings.

Cllr Hubbard added: “The project will deliver social impact by cross-generational activities such as Contact the Elderly Tea Parties or young people working with the local SHED club or helping the Town Team on a litter-pick. Being seen as ‘good citizens’ will help the young people overcome negative perceptions.”

The government’s #iwill fund, distributed through the Wiltshire Community Foundation, is funded by The Big Lottery and the Office for Civil Action and aims to increase youth volunteering and social action in the UK by 50 per cent by 2020.

The Foundation set up a panel to assess the 12 applications for grants of up to £5,000 it received and is still looking for donors to match fund the next round of funding later this year.

Development and marketing director Fiona Oliver said: “We had more applications than we could fund so we will be running another round in September. We are able to match fund donations so we can double anything we receive.”

To find out more contact the Wiltshire Community Foundation on 01380 729284 or go to www.wiltshirecf.org.uk.