The UK’s largest Scout Group, Chorlton and Northenden Scout Group has been awarded a Youth Investment Fund Refurbishment Grant to renovate its youth service offer to young people across south Manchester. It is very welcome news for young people supported by The Scouts who will benefit from the generous funding and means that Chorlton and Northenden Scouts will be able to support hundreds more young people when the project is complete. With Over 500 Youth Members, Chorlton and Northenden is the UK’s largest scout group by a considerable margin, This additional funding along with support from Manchester City Council has enabled the group to acquire an additional site at Hough End to increase their capacity.

Chorlton and Northenden Scouts is one of 140 youth projects in England to benefit from a Youth Investment Fund grant, announced by the funder, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the charity Social Investment Business, who is delivering the grant programme in partnership with Key Fund, National Youth Agency and Resonance. The Youth Investment Fund is part of the Government’s National Youth Guarantee to transform and level up opportunities for young people in England. The Youth Investment Fund, of over £300 million, aims to build, renovate, or extend youth services in the parts of the country where new spaces and new opportunities are most needed. The Youth Investment Fund grants announced today are worth over £90 million.

Over £90 million of grants were also announced to 43 youth services in March 2023, and another £70 million announced to 44 youth centres in August 2023.  This means that so far at total of over £250 million has been invested in youth services across England.  

Our Youth Investment Fund Refurbishment Grant of £150,000 will renovate and enhance our newly acquired buildings at Hough End and extend our offer to young people. It means work can start on site immediately and the renovated service should open its doors to young people later this month.

The newly renovated service will provide additional capacity for young people to access Squirrels, Beavers, Cubs and Scouts in the Area. Scout’s themselves played a key role in developing this exciting new project, as such the new scout hut features a permanent residential facility for sleepovers and a state of the art games room and common room for the Explorer Scouts (aged 14-18). 

Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said: “I want to see every young person have someone to talk to, something to do, and somewhere to go outside of the classroom, no matter where they are from, to help maximise their potential in life. “This next round of funding from the Youth Investment Fund will help nearly 20,000 more young people achieve this goal.”  

“We have now committed to building or refurbishing over 220 projects in some of the country’s most underserved areas, creating more opportunities for young people to gain the skills needed to succeed in life and stopping them from falling through the cracks.”  

Nick Temple, CEO for Social Investment Business, that leads the delivery partnership said: “The Youth Investment Fund is transforming the youth service landscape right across the country, enabling youth centres of all shapes and sizes to enhance their services and reach more young people.”

“It’s very exciting to see the first Youth Investment Fund new build open its doors to Chichester’s young people today. Before securing the funding, these young people had nowhere safe to go, and nothing to do after school.  Young people now have a brand-new youth centre, inspired by their ideas and needs, giving them every opportunity to thrive and discover their passions. The Youth Investment Fund is truly unlocking potential and creating a legacy for future generations of young people in communities like this across the country.”

Welcoming the Youth Investment Fund grant, Group Lead Volunteer Jonathan Allerton said “We’re enormously grateful for this Youth Investment fund grant, In Chorlton and Northenden the demand for Scouting has never been higher. This money will enable us to develop an additional site with exciting new facilities to further increase our impact for young people locally. Our Explorer Scouts will be the first to move in to the new facility in February, with additional sections opening as and when we are able to recruit volunteers. There has never been a better time to get involved in Scouting and help make a difference to young people”

Find out more about the Youth Investment Fund