Youngsters scoop community award

The youth club project – started by young people in Woodthorpe – is a platform for them to get involved in positive activities to tackle the issues surrounding anti-social behaviour.

Announcing the winner, centre manager for The Moor Sheffield, Amanda Phillips said: “It’s a really worthy cause, young people trying to make a difference with the peer group which is very unusual in this day and age and I’m very proud to support them.”

Ash Stewart, aged 16, said they were all very surprised by the win but hoped it could boost their popularity among people their age.

“It doesn’t look at its best at the moment and it is not very inviting. We hope to make it more popular while raising money for the place,” he said.

The Moor Community Award is a campaign to recognise unsung heroes throughout the city and the winners will be given monetary rewards of £250 to help with their cause.

The project is in association with Aberdeen Standard Investment – ASI, which owns The Moor.

Harry Loy, 15, said the club has initiated a number fundraising efforts such as sponsored walks and placing charity boxes in local shops since its setup.

“But we are not sure on how to spend the money yet,” he said.

Although the members have yet to decide on where the cash prize could go, they did not rule out the possibility of fixing the lights at their football pitch.

Several members of the youth club had previously discussed their proposals to make their facility more welcoming and attractive to a wider group of people from around the area.

They had discussed their proposals with many parties, and youth workers supported the Sheffield Futures club in forming the project.

It has been reported that Woodthorpe is an area of high deprivation, that needs places where young people can meet.

Commenting on the win, Sheffield Futures’ youth worker Bethany White said: “I am so proud of them. I think they are a bunch of amazing people.

“Without them, none of this would have happened and the youth club is in dire need of it. I feel like sometimes youth work can be unrecognised and not valued as much as it should be and the fact that they devoted their week to it is really good because it highlights what youth work can do and what kind of services it can offer.”

Apart from the cash prize, the winners also received four tickets from Theatre Deli, as part of The Moor’s efforts to get its retailers involved in a worthy cause.

The Star is now looking for another unsung hero who deserves to take the spotlight as Sheffield’s next community champion.

To nominate a winner, email [email protected] and tell us who you have picked and why, where they are from and include contact details.