Congratulations to the Chichester Bell Tower Youth Drop-In on the award of The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Services. This is the MBE for volunteer groups and recognises excellence of voluntary activities and services carried out by groups in the community and Seaward is very pleased to have been able to be able to provide support to the centre.
The award recognises the work of volunteers in supporting local young people in Chichester and the wider district in providing a daily after school drop-in with mentoring support and a development programme for young leaders. The volunteers also provide in school support.
The Chichester Bell Tower Youth Drop-In, set up in 2014, is based in the Cathedral Tower and is open five days a week from 3.00 – 5.30 pm to all secondary school pupils during term time.
Since opening the project has recorded over 7,000 volunteer hours and in the last year alone has worked regularly with over 260 young people, receiving 4,023 visits to the drop-in centre.
This video highlights the excellent support provided by the centre to the young people of Chichester.
Sam Harding, project manager of the Chichester Bell Tower Youth Drop-in, comments that
the award recognises the work of numerous individuals who have volunteered within their community to improve the lives of so many young people. Without the dedication of these volunteers, the Chichester Bell Tower Youth Drop-in would not exist. I feel very privileged to lead the project and will celebrate the fact that we have received this award from the Queen with our team of volunteers from across the community. I feel particularly proud when I see many young people who have used our centre for years, choosing to come back to volunteer and give back to their community, creating a lasting cycle of positive change.