This report provides the first causal estimates of the effects of youth clubs on education and crime, leveraging quasi-experimental variation from austerity-related cuts, which led to the closure of 30% of youth clubs in London between 2010-19. Difference-in-differences research designs and novel data were used to compare neighbourhoods. Teenagers in areas affected performed nearly 4% worse in national high-school exams. Youths aged 10 to 17 became 14% more likely to commit crimes. Closing youth clubs was not cost-effective; for every £1 saved from closures, there are associated losses of nearly £3 due to forgone returns to education and crime costs.

The Trust for Developing Communities developed an audit to help community spaces become more youth-friendly in a bid to combat youth loneliness.

The group explored the barriers that can prevent access to places. They questioned what can be done to make young people feel at ease and what would help encourage them to visit community locations. The resulting document forms a framework to help make community spaces more accessible to young people, including an audit which managers of such places can use to assess and improve their own spaces. An accompanying video is here: https://youtu.be/InW6CWVevUI

In this report, we provide the most detailed ever look at the geography of opportunity and social mobility in England. We closely examine how socio-economic background, geography and opportunity interact, with data looking at both parliamentary constituency and regional level in England. From educational attainment, to opportunities in higher education and employment, the research compares the outcomes of young people across the country, with a particular focus on the chances of social mobility for young people from lower income homes. Alongside the brief, there is an interactive map which can be accessed at: https://www.suttontrust.com/opportunity-indexinteractive-map

The Centre for Young Lives outlines a vision for transforming youth provision in the UK, emphasizing safe spaces, engaging activities, and trusted adult relationships. ​The proposed Young Futures programme includes 1,000 youth centres, year-round activities, and 10,000 trained youth practitioners. This investment, costing £1.46 billion over three years, aims to address challenges like youth crime, mental health crises, and educational disparities. ​Alma Economics estimates a £2.40 return for every £1 invested, with benefits in education, mental health, and crime reduction. The report calls for sustainable funding and a coordinated national strategy to ensure equitable opportunities for all young people. ​

Research exploring the needs and preferences of young people and youth practitioners in England

National Citizen’s Service (NCS) want to understand the latest perceptions, needs and preferences of young people and youth practitioners across England, in relation to youth provision. In January 2024, NCS commissioned UK Youth to undertake qualitative research to explore this topic. Insights were gathered through mixed methods, with a strong focus on an innovative approach to soliciting and analysing audio-recorded testimonies.

As the national body for youth work in England, the National Youth Agency exists to champion the value of youth work for young people, for local communities and for society. We work in partnership and believe in collaborative leadership, listening to youth workers and the youth work sector so that we can understand their needs and respond to the challenges they face. We are ambitious for youth work and for young people and integrate youth voice and influence across our work.

A Youth Evidence Base report by SQW and the University of Warwick for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

This review located and screened over 25,000 studies from across 22 major research databases and repositories. A total of 77 studies met the review criteria for relevance and suitability. Studies were quality assessed, organised within six activity areas, and analysed in-depth by area to better understand the impacts of open access youth activities

A Youth Evidence Base report for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Our research used five datasets to explore the effects of weekly participation in youth clubs on outcomes later in life. Four of the five datasets were longitudinal studies; the fifth was a rolling annual survey. The studies covered different generations of young people from the 1970s to 2000s, and the timing of outcome measurements reflected this.

A Youth Evidence Base report studying the local impact of youth clubs.

The goal of this research was to understand what impact the presence of youth clubs have on local areas. Data sources were predominantly official statistics relating to national and local government. Some data were unavailable for all areas of interest, or were reported inconsistently across different local authorities. We encountered data shortages relating to the numbers of youth clubs, and youth workforce headcount including volunteers, and participants. Interviewees said that the trends revealed in our analysis nevertheless broadly reflected their experiences.

Youth work can transform lives. It provides a safe place for young people to find their place in society and learn practical skills to help them realise their full potential. In these difficult times, this is more important than ever. New research by UK Youth and economics consultancy, Frontier Economics, has found that annual investment in youth work saves the government as much as £3.2 billion.

The results highlighted in this report are the result of the hard work and effort of our team. Their interactions with young people and preschool children would not have been as successful as this report demonstrates, had it not been for their excellent commitment to providing opportunity and challenge to young people and working together to achieve this common objective.

Healthwatch Somerset explores the quality of the transfer of care process in Somerset and use the experiences of people who have been discharged from hospital to inform the organisations involved to support change and improve the process.

In January 2022, we released a commentary about the Lack of NHS Dentists in Somerset highlighting the concerning shortage of accessible dental care in the county, and the
pressing issue of limited access to NHS dentists which was causing widespread public concern. The inability to secure dentist appointments has led to frustration, disproportionately
affecting vulnerable groups like parents seeking care for their children, pregnant women, and those reliant on benefits for whom private dental care is financially unattainable.

The impact of COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people (CYP) has been investigated both nationally and regionally. There is a wealth of data and
many reports that demonstrate the effects on CYP over the course of several years.

In 2022 Healthwatch Somerset worked with NHS Somerset ICB to create a series of case studies, to support a business case for change, by interviewing people who had lived
experience of an acquired brain injury (ABI) and neurological rehabilitation.

A look at booking an appointment with your GP in Somerset

It is evident over the past year that the public profile of Healthwatch Somerset has been raised because we have seen an increase in the number of people we have heard from and been in contact with. This public feedback and involvement, along with other sources of evidence, has helped us deliver impactful work this year and formulate a work plan for the
coming year.

Unlocking the power of people-driven care – Healthwatch Somerset has had another busy year with a myriad of issues being shared with us. The main concern has been around the lack of NHS dental services in Somerset. We are very fortunate that even though staff numbers are small we have a dedicated team, enabling us to produce the impressive volume of work in 2024/2025. We are increasingly asked to represent Healthwatch on various committees, and our role as an independent advocate is valued.

NHS Somerset launched the ‘Somerset’s Big Conversation’ with an ambition to have conversations with as many Somerset residents as possible to help guide future planning. Whilst there is a lot which is positive about living in Somerset and utilising the services it offers, there is always room improvement – the Somerset Big Conversation enabled NHS Somerset to communicate with Somerset residents through in person conversations, an online survey and social media to delve into residents’ views on living in Somerset.

We received a multi-year grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation in 2021 to support the work our charity delivers in communities with young people and for families. This second report highlights the impact this grant has made during 2022/23, the second period and details regarding our participants, the outcomes of our work, case studies and what we are proud of achieving during this period.

This review outlines our wide range of services and projects delivered in 2022. It explains our impact as we fulfil our charitable objectives to be responsive to needs and improve the lives of children, young people, their families, and local communities.

Delivering inspirational mentoring to Somerset’s most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people.

For many of the groups we support, a grant from The Somerset Fund made a huge difference, enabling them to keep going despite these uncertain times.

Hidden Somerset is a series of short reports looking at aspects of life in Somerset that are often hidden from view. By lifting the lid on the experience and insights of frontline grassroots charities that work at the heart of our communities, we aim to stimulate debate and understanding across a wider audience, helping to inspire new and more impactful philanthropy.

Hidden Somerset is a series of short reports looking at aspects of life in Somerset that are often hidden from view. By lifting the lid on the experience and insights of frontline grassroots charities that work at the heart of our communities, we aim to stimulate debate and understanding across a wider audience, helping to inspire new and more impactful philanthropy.

Hidden Somerset is a series of short reports looking at aspects of life in Somerset that are often hidden from view. By lifting the lid on the experience and insights of frontline grassroots charities that work at the heart of our communities, we aim to stimulate debate and understanding across a wider audience, helping to inspire new and more impactful philanthropy.

Hidden Somerset is a series of short reports looking at aspects of life in Somerset that are often hidden from view. By lifting the lid on the experience and insights of frontline grassroots charities that work at the heart of our communities, we aim to stimulate debate and understanding across a wider audience, helping to inspire new and more impactful philanthropy.

this report tells us how our funding
could support adults with learning disabilities and
autism to live fulfilling lives in their own
communities. Our aim when we commissioned this
research was to build our understanding of what
works well, what needs attention, and how positive
changes can be sustained within communities.

The HPC Community Fund, which is
funded by EDF, continues to award grants
to communities that are experiencing the
changes brought about by the construction
of Hinkley Point C, to improve their
quality of life and wellbeing.

Throughout this review, you’ll
find several stories highlighting
how carefully directed funding,
channelled through Somerset’s
brilliant local charities and social
enterprises, can transform lives and
build stronger communities.

This report draws on community consultation to tell us how our funding could support older people across Somerset

The Somerset State of the Sector report for 2024 was commissioned by Spark Somerset and builds on the work of similar reports published in 2017 and 2020.1
It examines the size and shape of the voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise (VCFSE) sector in Somerset.

MM is 22 years old and has autism and sensory processing difficulties. MM joined the Hub from a Special Educational Needs department in the local college where he received 1:1 support.

30 year old female that has been with the Hub for a number of years. She has severe non verbal Autism, ADHD, OCD and anxiety. LC had funding for attending the Hub two days per week from the Local Authority.

Situated in the lovely Westcountry countryside, the Ark for me has come to be a haven for finding peace of mind and escaping from the stresses of everyday life.

I first started attending ARK at Egwood back in June 2021 as a recommendation from the mental health team at Yeovil for the mental Health and Wellbeing course in partnership with Somerset Skills and Learning.

SASP helps people find ways to move more that work for them to promote good health and happiness and are pleased to be working with hospitals across Somerset with this new service.

Using ActiveWalls to run fun activity sessions with pupils, pupils of other local schools, and families of pupils. These walls are located indoors and outdoors (in a sheltered spot).

Despite the impact of Covid-19, YAS has delivered a wide range of creative opportunities for communities in Yeovil in partnership with organisations, businesses and artists. YAS reaches more than 5000 people through its activities.

We review our aims, objectives and activities each year. This review looks at what we achieved and the outcomes of our work in the previous 12 months. The review looks at the success of each key activity and the benefits they have brought to those groups of people we are set up to help.

At SASP, we are in the unique position of working across all levels of the system to reduce inequalities in physical activity across Somerset.

2020 will be forever remembered for two global events. One that changed everyone’s lives and one that needs to. The former, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the latter, the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer in Minneapolis and the resulting worldwide calls for change. As a charity these tragic events have shaped and informed our year.

A comprehensive report detailing the work and impact of Mind across the UK

The 2023/24 fiscal year was a year of transition for CCS with internal reviews, contingency planning, and development of our new Strategy, aligned to our new Vision, Mission and Values.

Citizens Advice Somerset impact report for the period 1st of April 2023 to 31st March 2024

Infographic style report that summarises the centre’s activities and impact between April 2023 and March 2024

Welcome and thank you for taking the time to read ARK at Egwood’s three-year Celebration Report, which has provided us all with an opportunity to reflect upon what has been an incredible journey so far.