AN EXTENSION project at a popular Pershore youth centre is set to become a reality after they received a £3,000 donation.
The ASDA store, in King George’s Way, pumped the funds into The Riverside Youth Centre, on the same road, to help them build and develop the building for young people with disabilities.
At the end of 2012, the youth site received a huge blow when Wychavon District Council decided to cut their funding, but the superstore have done all they can ever since.
The £3,000 will be used for disabled access and toilets.
Alex Mellor, youth centre manager, said: “ASDA heard about the council cutting their funding at the end of 2012 and have helped us
with support for events and smaller donations since then.
“The £3,000 came as a great surprise, and will help make the extension a reality. It feels like ASDA genuinely want to help the young people of Pershore.”
The centre bounced back from 2012 and now work with partners all across the town, including Pershore High School, The Princes
Trust, counselling sessions and sexual health advice, leading to the need of an increase in size.
“It’s money raised in store and not just a national pot,” he added. “The centre’s getting much busier, we’re getting much more work and we just needed more space.
“More important than that, Pershore has long wanted to do more with the river, because Pershore has almost turned its back on it.
“We want to do a lot more canoeing but we haven’t got changing rooms, so at the moment people have to get changed in the
centre, so in order to do more we needed an extension.
“Long-term, because we’ve lost our council funding, we need to be more self sustaining and that will give us a more sustainable future with the water sports.
“Pershore community and local businesses have been great with their support and realising how vital this facility is for young people and the support the youth workers can offer.”
Work is also ongoing to secure more funding, with support coming from Severn Waste Services, Sport England, Pershore Market Town Partnership, Canoe England, Rotary Pershore and the district council.
