A youth bus which was set up to interact with young people in East Lancashire has increased its hours of operation from two days a week to three.
The Space Youth Bus, run by Participation Works North West, engages with young people in their communities, offering support where needed and pointing out other services in the area.
Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden helped fund the bus, and last week joined the project, involving young people in the Burnley and Padiham area, while addressing concerns about antisocial behavior hotspots.
Now, thanks to its £11,250 funding, an extra day of activity each week has been secured, increasing support from two to three days over the next twelve months.
The commissioner was welcomed on board the bus in Burnley, speaking to staff about the support they offer, meeting some of the young people using the activities and touring the bespoke converted double-decker bus.
Mr Snowden said: “It’s great to meet the Space Youth Bus team and I’m proud to have been able to provide them with additional funding to work in more places in Burnley and Padiham and increase the number of young people their support can reach.
“Projects like this engage young people in the community, build relationships with the local police team and help young people avoid getting involved in anti-social behavior.
“Through my Safer Neighborhoods Fund in Lancashire, we will continue to offer a number of ways in which communities can help us tackle some of the root causes of anti-social behaviour, while also engaging officers to crack down on offenders and making people safer as I lead the fight against crime and implement the priorities of my policing and fighting crime plan.”
The Space Bus is also working with partners, including the local Neighborhood Policing Team and Borough Council, to identify hotspots of anti-social behavior that could benefit from visiting the bus as part of a diversion.
Lynne Blackburn, from Participation North West, said: “It was a pleasure to welcome Andrew to the Youth Bus to showcase our amazing Youth Bus project and the vital work we do for young people.
“It gave the team the opportunity to talk about their work and discuss the challenges we face. We are proud of the youth work and support we provide to young people and hope to continue this for years to come. .
“We are always looking for volunteers to support our youth and community projects, for more information contact Lynne Blackburn [email protected]”
