Charity teaching abused and troubled kids looking for funding from businesses

We are a Charity working with some of the most troubled and abused kids around the York Area, as York is a big tourist city these problems aren't publicised.

A typical day for us starts at 6.30 when we open our doors to the public and also the Salvation Army who bring in some of the local homeless, we let them use the premises for a couple of hours as a place to stay off the streets, exercise and give them some self worth, trying to get them out of the habits of drink, drugs and petty crime by keeping them engaged in something worthwhile.

Then at 9.30 we open our door as an ALPS provider (Alternative Learning Provision), providing practical and life skills to kids referred from the City of York Council, York College and alot of the local Secondary Schools, they recognise our natural working relationship with children and young people who have become disengaged with education, many have not attended formal education from the age of 12. Our core age groups are 11 years to 16 years and 17 years to 24 years.
Alot of the kids cant manage in a formal education setting so our relaxed atmosphere helps this and we find the kids engaging and mixing with others which is new to them and is so good to see.

At 2pm the School day finishes and then at 2.15pm open our doors to the general public for a couple of hours, we also work in the afternoons closely with the police and get people sent to us who have been committing petty crime in the York area, we engage them in fitness and circuit training and over the last few months have built up a regular crowd.
At a meeting with the local Police officer who runs the project with us last week, we have achieved good results, as those who were offending have now become engaged in fitness and boxing and have changed their behaviour and the crime rate has dropped.

At 6pm we then open as a fitness centre offering a wide range of classes and activities to the general public, we welcome anybody from our youngest at 4 (my own son) to a 60 year old who regularly attends the fitness class.
We offer all our afternoon and evening classes/activities for a little as £1, this is for those who cant afford the yearly membership which is £100.
We now also have the OSA (Oriental Sports Association) working with us, so we can now offer a number of recognised qualifications in fitness and martial arts, including certificates such as City and Guilds. (At an extra cost)

All our afternoon and evening staff are volunteers and do it for the love.
Nobody in the area offers such a wide range of activities as we do, we are unique in what we do and what we offer.
But in order for us to carry on we need your support, we are struggling at the moment and the last thing we want to do is close our doors, please, please support us.

to help you can text JACK00 £?? to 70070, with where the ?? the amount you can afford, even if its £1 it will be greatly appreciated.
Or if you are a business and would like to offer your support to us please contact us through the email address on our Newsroom page.