Terminal One received £4898 after it applied for support using the council’s Participatory Budgeting (PB) exercise, which gives local people a direct say in how public money is spent.

The funding was used to support the Burnbank Youth Club, which provides a whole range of free youth activities which successfully attracts 136 young people aged 8-18 years in the Burnbank and Udston area every week.

Their participatory budgeting proposal was developed in direct response to the findings of a consultation which highlighted that young people and parent/carers were concerned about the cost of living, rising utility costs and how to make ends meet with already stretched incomes.

More than 1600 local residents took part in the public vote with Terminal One hosting pop-up voting sessions to ensure as many people as possible were able to make their suggestions.

The council’s Community Engagement team, which coordinates the Participatory Budgeting process, then distributed funding from the council and the National Lottery, based on the series of priorities identified by the voting community. 

Joanne Tierney, project coordinator at the Terminal One Youth Centre, said: “The PB allowed us to provide services in a warm, safe environment and deliver Christmas activities to ensure that young people living on a low income had the same participation opportunities as their peers.

“The young people received free snacks when attending the youth clubs and activities. They also provided family support that included food parcels, winter clothing/footwear and Christmas toy/food parcels.

“Everyone was also given an information leaflet to take home which included several useful contacts, as well as Terminal One staff details in the event that families needed support.”

PB funding provided:

• 119 young people with food/snacks at the youth club
• 62 Christmas food packs
• 57 winter clothing packs (jackets, tights, hats and scarves, leggings, shoes, jumpers)
• Christmas activities for 129 young people

Council Leader and Chair of the Community Planning Partnership, Councillor Joe Fagan, said: “This group, and so many like them, know best what their priorities for assistance are, which is what the PB process is fundamentally all about. 

“Participatory Budgeting works so well because it targets what local people tell us they need.

“Terminal One is doing a fantastic job to support the young people in their local community and through the PB process can focus on what those coming along to the club really feel is important to them.”

“I would encourage communities across South Lanarkshire to find out more and get involved in the PB process.”

More information about Participatory Budgeting is available on the Community Planning website.