YOUNG people in the North can look forward to a socially-distanced picnic as lockdown is eased and the Springburn Youth Forum (SYF) launch new activities.

The North Glasgow youth group has pencilled in a picnic for their members and children and young people in the area, after they were awarded £230 in funding for the project.

After a successful trial run in July, where youth forum members were treated to a chippy in the park, children and teenagers in the area will hopefully be able to meet in Springburn Park for a bite to eat and a chat.

Emma Porter, chair and founder of SYF told the Glasgow Times that during lockdown, as well as running online quizzes, meetings and movie nights, the forum conducted a survey among young people in Springburn to find out the issues that were affecting them.

She said: “One of the issues was mental health, so we’ve started posting pick-me-up messages on social media every Wednesday to boost people’s mental health.

“We’re planning to do a bigger consultation with young people and we also held a litter-pick in the park last Saturday. We realised that people were getting fed up being in the house all day so the idea with the picnic is we’ll buy everyone chippies and then speak to them about the issues.”

She said that mental health was likely to come up again, with many young people feeling the strain of isolation.

As lockdown is eased, Emma said, young people will continue to face unique challenges.

“We’re already hearing about incidents of youth discrimination,” she added”. “Young people have said when they are walking down the street, even if they are socially-distancing people will stare at them.”

As one of the most deprived parts of Glasgow, young people in the area may also struggle to re-adjust to life after lockdown.

She said: “There are people who don’t have access to technology who might struggle to reconnect with their friends, after being stuck in the house all the time, especially if they or someone they lived with was shielding.”

The group are also planning a drop-in centre at Springburn Shopping Centre, to allow young people to touch base with the group and learn more about their activities.