WE spoke to one group locked out of the council’s holiday hunger fund. Despite deep local connections and familiarity with they families they support, an East End youth group was denied the funding, which largely went to bigger groups in a controversial decision from city chiefs.

Royston Youth Action has deep connections with the families it feeds and provides a level of dignity for those forced to turn to charity it fears may be lacking as bigger groups move in.

Sharon Kelly, a project manager at the East End community group, said the group had received “no feedback” on why its application to the Holiday Hunger Fund had been rejected by the council.

“It is about feeding the families but it’s delivering holiday activities, so the children feel safe, the parents feel safe because they know who you are, you don’t just turn up, take a bag of food and then that’s you sorted. That’s not the way we work,” said Sharon.

“We give out toiletries, sanitary products and clothes, too, they know and trust us. They don’t need to feel embarrassed to ask for any other support.”

READ PART ONE: Charities express concern over council’s allocation of funding

All of the group’s regular activities, including a weekly trip for the children, have been put on pause because of the pandemic – but it has been as busy as ever getting essential supplies to locals who cannot afford them.

Sharon said: “We’re massively integrated into the community, we have been running for 30 years now, we’re the main youth and child work community group in the area.”

Citywide Forum, the group that represents the third-sector organisations who have stepped in to catch families in poverty who are at risk of slipping through the cracks, have also expressed concerns that smaller groups were locked out of the fund.

“No one group can cover every area, that is why you rely on your groups that are already there,” Sharon added. “We can run with this right now.”

While she is very grateful for the funding Royston Youth Action receives from the council, she expressed frustration with the lack of feedback on why the bid was knocked back in favour of the bigger groups.

Many others have raised the same question and it appears that local groups’ existing relationships with communities and their links were not taken into consideration when awarding the cash.

A council spokeswoman said: “We are providing unsuccessful organisations, including Royston Youth Action, feedback on why their bid was not taken forward.”