Youth groups across East Lancashire are to benefit from a cash injection as part of the £380 million Youth Investment Fund.

The government says the fund has been designed to ‘create, improve and expand local youth facilities and services’.

The £12 million funding has been fast-tracked to local youth services where supply is currently far short of meeting demand.

A number of organisations in Blackburn, Burnley, Darwen, Pendle and Hyndburn are to benefit from the funding which will be spent on items such as laptops, small redevelopments of buildings and facilities and in some cases new minibuses.

In Blackburn the Youth Zone will get a new digital sign-in system; Youth Action will be funded an IT room and a 17-seater minibus and the IMO Charity are to fund a new Youth Hub.

In Hyndburn, Maundy Relief will be able to fund new counselling sessions; The Emily Davison Centre will be able to install fencing, privacy walls, benches and decking; The grant for Carers Link Lancashire will fund a minibus, digital cameras and laptops.

In Burnley, the Burnley Boys & Girls Club will be able to upgrade their toilets and The Burnley Enterprise of Sport & Training CIC will be able to fund gym equipment, lighting and boiler installation.

Nigel Huddleston, Minister for Sport, Tourism and Civil Society, said: "We want every young person, no matter where they're from, to have the chance to get the best start in life.

“Today we are firing the starting gun on the rollout of our National Youth Guarantee and putting more money into improving access to youth services where it is most needed.”

Applications for funding were assessed by BBC Children in Need as an Intermediary Grant Maker.

Simon Antrobus, CEO of BBC Children in Need said:“A wide range of grants have been awarded, from providing minibuses to enable children living in left behind areas access to youth provision, to upgrading buildings so that young people facing mental health challenges have a safe place to go and talk to a trusted adult.

“This funding will make a huge difference to the way these projects deliver their crucial work all over England and have a lasting effect on the children and young people that they support.”

BLACKBURN and DARWEN

IMO Charity - £32,155

This grant will fund equipment and furnishings for a new Youth Hub (Education Suite and Chillout Zone). This will provide programmes, activities, and a safe environment for children & young people who struggle with poverty, mental health, and in school.

Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council - £39,003

This grant will fund projectors, IT/electronics, equipment and alterations for a wellbeing room in Blackburn. It will support disadvantaged children & young people via a range of services and activities, aiming to improve wellbeing and life chances

Blackburn Youth Zone - £44,720

This grant will fund some sporting goods for a dance studio, new furniture & equipment to re-purpose areas in a large youth centre, and a digital sign-in system which will benefit around 1,500 children & young people in Blackburn, many of whom are BAME.

Youth Action - £66,476

This grant will fund an IT room and 17-seater minibus for a youth charity in Lancashire. It will help increase reach, improve safe space provision and build skills/confidence for children and young people impacted by poverty, many from BAME backgrounds.

Z's Defence Academy - £5,080

This grant will fund gym equipment such as boxing gloves and pads. It will be used to teach self-defence to girls & young women, improving physical & mental health for beneficiaries in an area who have little access to culturally sensitive activities.

Lancashire School Sailing Association - £6,625

The grant will fund a dinghy, dry suits and boots, buoyancy aids, and a stand-up paddle board & pump for children. This will allow the children & young people in an area of high disadvantage and poverty to take part in watersports.

BURNLEY

Participation Works NW - £5,380

This grant funds IT and educational resources for a participation project in Burnley. It will reduce digital poverty and develop understanding of healthy interpersonal relationships for disengaged children & young people at risk of negative behaviours.

Burnley Boys & Girls Club - £47,219

This grant funds upgraded youth club toilets to meet accessibility standards in Burnley. It will help improve safe space and social confidence for children & young people disadvantaged by deprivation, low educational attainment, and difficult home lives.

Burnley Pendle and Rossendale Council for Voluntary Service - £37,000

This grant will fund a minibus for a CVS based in a deprived Left Behind Area which will help young people with the opportunity to reduce isolation and loneliness via provision of a range of activities & breaks.

Burnley Enterprise of Sport & Training CIC - £34,684

This grant will fund gym equipment, lighting, boiler installation and carpeting for a sports training enterprise in Burnley. It will help create safe space for children and young people impacted by poverty, improving wellbeing and mental health.

HYNDBURN

Accrington & District Unit No. 5 of the Sea Cadet Corps TS Nubian - £20,703

This grant will fund furniture & shower facilities for a sea cadet group in a disadvantaged area of Lancashire. This will enable them to offer more boating & aquatic activities to young people, many of whom come from single-parent & low-income families.

Maundy Relief - £28,686

This grant will fund equipment to improve counselling rooms, with a focus on improving accessibility. This will be used to enable full access for children & young people who experience reduced mobility and other disability needs.

The Emily Davison Centre - £40,420

This grant will fund fencing, privacy walls, benches and decking at a Lancashire centre for women and girls. It will improve safe space for children & young people who are experiencing, or have experienced, domestic abuse and/or sexual exploitation.

HARV Outreach Team - £49,754

This grant will fund a minibus and IT for homework clubs at a Lancashire charity. It will be used to transport children & young people impacted by domestic abuse to activity sessions and away days, building confidence and increasing safe space provision.

Carers Link Lancashire – £57,468

The grant will fund a minibus, digital cameras and laptops for a Lancashire CIO working with young carers. It will help overcome barriers to participation and improve access to creative hobbies for children & young people impacted by poor mental health.

PENDLE

PAC - Positive Action in the Community – £9,430

This grant will fund IT and gaming equipment, furniture and decor to help renovate a Lancashire youth club. It will improve safe space, give access to new opportunities and reduce antisocial behaviours among children & young people in a deprived area.