Witney Town Council has awarded £28,500 in Youth Services Grants to nine organisations, from £12,000 for Home-Start to £500 for a sailing session.
Witney Town Council has handed out £28,500 to nine organisations working with young people in the town. The awards were announced on Monday 1 September and cover scouting, young carers, a youth café, tuition for 16 to 24 year olds and free sport in local schools.
The council says this year’s round “attracted a record level of interest” and that it was “unable to fund every application in full”. It prioritised new and sustainable projects, and put “particular emphasis” on schemes that are inclusive, preventative and open access.
Who got what
| Organisation | Amount | What it pays for |
|---|---|---|
| Home-Start | £12,000 | Free weekly groups and summer activities for babies, toddlers and young families, including provision for children with SEND |
| Witney Buttercross Scouts | £5,000 | Infrastructure and environmental work at The Old Oak, a newly approved 6.5-acre campsite and outdoor activity hub at North Leigh |
| Aspire | £2,500 | Small-group tuition for 50 to 100 people aged 16 to 24 at its Witney hub |
| The Benefice of Witney | £2,000 | An open-access weekly youth café with free activities, crafts and wellbeing support |
| Courtside Hubs CIC | £2,000 | A schools outreach project across up to 14 schools, with free pickleball and physical activity sessions |
| Be Free Young Carers | £2,000 | Monthly youth groups for young carers aged 8 to 12 and 13 plus |
| Yellow Submarine | £1,500 | Witney Youth Club summer activities for families with learning-disabled children aged 11 to 18 |
| Hope After Harm | £1,000 | Trauma-informed mentoring for young people facing exclusion, conflict or other barriers |
| 1st North Leigh Guides | £500 | A sailing session at Farmoor Reservoir |
Home-Start’s £12,000 is more than double the next largest award and accounts for 42 per cent of the money handed out.
What the projects actually do
The Buttercross Scouts award is the one that changes a physical thing. The council says the money goes towards “essential infrastructure and environmental improvements” at The Old Oak, a 6.5-acre campsite and outdoor activity hub at North Leigh, about three miles north-east of Witney. The council describes the campsite as newly approved and says it will give “hundreds of Witney-based Scouts” a place to camp, with the intention that other youth groups and primary schools can use it as well.
Courtside Hubs CIC has the widest reach on paper. Its schools outreach project is aimed at up to 14 schools and an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 children over the year, offering free pickleball, tennis and padel sessions and activity festivals.
Be Free Young Carers said the funding lets it “deepen the support” it offers, adding that the charity “expanded into Witney in 2025 and has been delighted to see young carers registering from across the town”.
Yellow Submarine’s young people’s programme manager, Beth Simpson, listed what the summer money paid for: swimming, canoeing, climbing, trampolining, mini golf, a visit to Blenheim Palace’s adventure playground, music-making and a week’s residential.
Councillor Thomas Ashby, chair of the Stronger Communities Committee, said the council was “investing in everything from weekly youth cafes to mental health and outdoor activities”. The Leader of the Council, Councillor Ruth Smith, called it “a brilliant investment in our future”.
What it means for you
Most of these are things a family can use rather than schemes that happen somewhere else. Several are open access, meaning there is no referral and no membership needed.
- The Benefice of Witney’s youth café is weekly and free.
- Home-Start’s groups for babies, toddlers and young families are free and weekly, with provision for children with SEND.
- Courtside Hubs’ sessions come to schools, so they reach children who would never sign up for a club.
- Be Free Young Carers and Yellow Submarine both work with specific groups, young carers and learning-disabled young people, and both take registrations directly.
The town council has not published a closing date for next year’s round. Grants are handled by the Stronger Communities Committee, whose meetings and papers are on the council’s own website.
If you are looking for something for children to do in the meantime, our things to do in Witney page lists what is on locally, and the funfair on the Leys, Witney Feast, runs from Sunday 13 to Tuesday 15 September.
Sources
- Investing in Our Young People, Youth Services Grants Awarded, Witney Town Council, 1 September 2026 for every award, amount, project description and quotation.
- What’s On at Our Venues, Witney Town Council for the Witney Feast dates.
Every figure above is the council’s own. The £28,500 total is the sum of the nine awards it published; the council did not publish a total, a budget figure or the number of applications it received.
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