Councillors approve nearly £200k towards youth provision in the east area of Sunderland

Sunderland City Council’s East Sunderland Area Committee met earlier this week to approve and align funding from its neighbourhood fund.

The area committee is one of five across the city and the east area covers the council wards of Hendon, Millfield, St Michael’s, Ryhope and Doxford.

At a meeting on Monday (September 8, 2025) at City Hall, councillors on the panel approved £199,371 as part of the area committee’s 2025/26 neighbourhood funding.

This included approvals of around £64,455 from the neighbourhood fund to support 'Fancy a Day Out', a scheme which provides activity sessions for children and young people during holiday periods.

The funding was linked to 10 applications involving various organisations and projects, including The Box Youth Project, Sunderland All Together Consortium, Evolve Youth Inclusion, Blue Watch, Chance, 'Kinship Holiday Programme, More than Grandparents', The Bunker, Back on the Map, 'Let's Learn Football @ Valley Road Invigor8' and Sunderland Community Action Group.

A total of four applications for the neighbourhood fund for Fancy a Day Out activities were also submitted but rejected by the East Sunderland Area Committee on Monday, including applications or projects linked to Sunderland All Together Consortium, 'Digital Art Holiday Camp, Gen D CIC', 'Fitness, Fun & Food, Keep Active' and Young Asian Voices.

In addition, there were five applications presented to the area committee for consideration from the neighbourhood fund to support the "extension to east area youth provision projects" totalling £124,916 including:

• Doxford Activities for Young People, The Box Youth and CommunityProject - £24,986
• Youth Work in Every Place and Space, Back on the Map - £25,000
• Future in Mind, Blue Watch Youth Centre - £25,000
• Millfield Youth Activities, Sunderland All Together Consortium - £24,930
• Next Steps St Michael’s, St Michael’s Community Centre - £25,000

There was also an "alignment proposal" presented to the East Sunderland Area Committee for consideration from the 2025-2026 neighbourhood fund "subject to full applications being presented to a future board and area committee".

This included £10,000, made up of £2,000 per ward, for "east area community events."

The total neighbourhood fund budget approved and aligned at Monday's meeting for youth provision and events was £199,371.

More information on the East Sunderland Area Committee’s funding decisions and the projects funded on Monday, September 8, 2025, can be found by visiting Sunderland City Council’s website.