The Fundraising Challenge

Riverside Youth Club is a much loved, well-used and iconic centre in one of Londons most disadvantaged areas, but in recent years the building has become extremely dilapidated. With your support, we can restore and modernise Riverside to give young people the sports, health and wellbeing centre that they deserve.

Help us raise £350,000 by January 2021 to unlock the potential of a further £830K investment for the centre.

This money will kickstart the Riverside Restoration Dream Plan - a project that embodies the desires of many local people to make the centre more accessible and safe, while empowering local young people with lots of new opportunities.

We're working in joint partnership with Millwall Community Trust and Lewisham Council to make this dream a reality.

The Fundraising Challenge

We are fundraising to execute an ambitious £1.18m proposal, in partnership with Millwall Community Trust, to modernise the iconic Riverside Youth Club with new sports and wellbeing facilities for young people and their families on the Evelyn Estate, Lewisham.

We have been working with the Council, Millwall and the Football Foundation since 2018 to develop the plan, in consultation with young people and the community. We now have full planning permission.

We are now submitting our full grant application to the Football Foundation, and have secured other funding and pledges, all totalling £830k. In order to secure this major grant, and make the dream plan a reality, we need to raise the remaining £350k by the end of 2020. So far we've already had a pledge of 100K towards that goal from a private donor!

With this investment, we can give young people the best chance of the future they deserve. However, without this investment, this iconic but run-down building will close, which would be a devastating loss to our community's children & young people.

Why now?

Riverside Youth Club was opened in May 1969 by the legendary boxer Henry Cooper. Generations of young people have grown up playing sport, taking part in activities and learning life skills at what has for many been like a second home. Badly planned design changes in the 1980s and poor maintenance has resulted in non-DDA compliance (making upstairs inaccessible), worn-out sports facilities, failing lighting and heating and a building that is far from fit for purpose. Without urgent renovation, Riverside will close within 5 years.

Who is this for?

The Club welcomes some of Lewishams most disadvantaged young people on the Evelyn Estate, in the 10% most deprived wards in the UK. An estimated 43% of children live in poverty [http://www.endchildpoverty.org.uk/povertyinyourarea2018/ ] with the youth population expected to rise significantly in coming years. Obesity levels in the area are high and physical activity is low. Last year, the Club provided youth work sessions, including sports, to 321 local young people. 78% of attendees were BAME, compared to 66% of the Lewisham population. Riverside young people and their families have been hard hit by COVID-19. Your donation could help local young people overcome trauma, mental and physical health needs, poverty and disadvantage over many years.

With a better, bigger, more inspirational centre, we can work with far more young people (1000 a year), offering a positive place to play, learn skills, get active, get help.

Riverside Sports and Wellbeing Centre vision

"Is this really all for us?" -Young person attending Riverside

With the funds that we raise we will provide innovative, aspirational and sustainable sports and wellbeing facilities for young people:

- Open 7 days a week from 9am to 9pm

- Staffed by professional youth work and sports coaches

- Football and multi-sports games, coaching, leagues and qualifications

- Events, festivals and celebrations

- Healthy food, nutrition advice, cooking and shared meals

- Sports and youth apprenticeships, training and support for youth social enterprise

- Mental health counselling, workshops, prevention programmes, referrals

- Community and family-friendly events and support

- Encouragement for the physically inactive to get fit

- Careers coaching, CV skills and job prep

- Involving young people as centre decision-makers, advisors, peer motivators and volunteers