Graham Stuart, Member of Parliament for Beverley and Holderness, has secured a meeting with the Minister for Policing and Crime Prevention, Diana Johnson MP, to discuss funding opportunities for Cherry Tree Youth Club.
During Home Office Questions in Parliament, Graham explained that the Cherry Tree Centre, located on the Swinemoor Estate in Beverley, provides a safe space for approximately 150 young people to drop in, meet others and receive support.
In April 2022, Graham welcomed the dedicated team of volunteers who run the club to Parliament where they received a ‘Highly Commended’ award in the ‘Best Contribution by a Community Group’ category in the Kids Count Inspiration Awards. They do incredible work, even though there is not yet a permanent home for the Youth Club to operate from.
So far the Centre has received planning permission from East Riding of Yorkshire Council for a permanent base and received some funding from sources including the National Lottery. Despite this positive progress, they remain approximately £90,000 short of the money they need to construct the premises. Graham has advised Jo Ramsay, who is the manager of Cherry Tree Centre, on some sources of funding she could apply for and speaks to her regularly about how he can help her give the young people on Swinemoor the facilities they desperately need.
Graham was very pleased that the Home Secretary, Yvette Cooper MP, agreed to his request for a meeting with the Minister and he will use this to make the case for the Government to provide much needed funding to improve the life chances of the young people in the area.
The Manager of Cherry Tree Centre, Jo Ramsay, commented: “The children on Swinemoor and beyond deserve the best possible start in life, and that is what we want to give them. That’s why I’m very grateful to Graham for being our passionate voice in Parliament as we work hard to move our Youth Club to a permanent home.”
Graham Stuart said: “The work Jo and the team at Cherry Tree Centre do to support young people on Swinemoor is incredible, and it is only right that they have a permanent location to provide this from. That’s why I raised this vital issue in Parliament and am so pleased to have the opportunity to persuade the Minister that the Government should offer financial assistance to this amazing project. I wish I could do more to help make this happen, but I hope this is another step in the right direction.”
