The Borders Youth Local Action Group (YLAG) leads decision making on the youth facilities fund.

The Borders YLAG is made up of 10 members , aged 16-30, from all across the 1800+sq miles of the Borders.

In the summer the Borders YLAG was given the opportunity to be final decision makers on part of the UK Govt Community Regeneration schemes – the Borders Youth Facilities Fund. We got to decide which youth organisations in the Borders got a share of £625,000 to improve their facilities.

We spent a day looking at the information we had on all the different charity’s and deciding if we thought the thing they wanted to use the money on would benefit them and the community.

In the end we funded 16 projects across the Borders, from youth work organisations, sports clubs and scouts. We believe that investing in these projects will give more young people a safe space and opportunities.

For me it was fun because we debated between the whole group and if we all agreed then we said yes to giving them the funding. We got info about exactly what they were going to do with the money and then we decided if it was going to be a good use of the money. I really enjoyed it and hope the groups do good with the money they got.

I felt we made a real difference and got to reflect young peoples’ needs in who we funded.

Amongst the projects funded were:

• One Step Borders was awarded £15,400.00 for their project Living Room Hope, which aims to refurbish their main office and counselling rooms in Selkirk to create a welcoming, accessible, and digitally enabled youth wellbeing hub.
• Selkirk Scout Group was awarded £17,000.00 for their project Hall Refurbishment, which aims to replace all 11 external windows and two external doors to reduce escalating heating, helping to free up funds for their Scouting programme.
• Stable Life was awarded £16,884.00 for their project Refurbishment Project, which aims to renovate their log cabin by repairing the roof and rotting wood, installing low-energy heaters, resurfacing the riding yard for safety, and fixing potholes in the car park to ensure a safer and more comfortable environment for vulnerable young people.
• Brothers of Charity Scotland was awarded £29,250.00 for their project Pathways to Independence, which aims to transform an industrial-style space into a sensory-informed, youth-led learning environment for young people with additional support needs.
• Eildon West Youth Hub (TD1 Youth Hub) was awarded £30,240.00 for their project TD1 Modernisation, which aims to improve health and safety through facility upgrades, expand their PC suite to support digital skills and gaming, and enhance services for young parents and rural youth clubs.

• Beyond Earlston was awarded £52,354.00 for their project BE on the Road, which aims to purchase a minibus for evening use and shared access by other community groups, helping address local transport challenges.
• Tweeddale Youth Action was awarded £55,773.00 for their project “No need for coats!”, which aims to develop architectural plans and install a new, efficient heating system at the Innerleithen Youth Club to prevent session cancellations during cold weather and improve comfort in their refurbished facility.
• Escape Youth Services was awarded £71,138.36 for their project Escape 2.0, which aims to upgrade their youth centre with improved security systems, energy-efficient features, expanded storage, and enhanced outdoor areas to better support youth and community activities.
• Lauderdale Scout Group was awarded £100,000.00 for their project Lauderdale Scout Hall Extension, which aims to expand their existing hall into a modern, flexible space that supports a wide range of activities, including cooking, sports, arts, and environmental projects, while also improving storage for outdoor equipment.
• Cheviot Youth was awarded £78,272.60 for their project Reboot: The Big Hub Upgrade, which aims to renovate the Kelso Youth Hub by installing energy-efficient windows, replacing the heating system, redecorating the interior, creating therapeutic spaces, and adding accessible toilets to ensure a safe, inclusive, and welcoming environment.

• Cheviot Youth’s Stronger Spaces for Youth Therapy was awarded £44,000 to expand and enhance its counselling and psychotherapy services for young people across the Scottish Borders, responding to a sharp rise in demand and the strain on existing facilities and technology. This includes new or upgraded therapy rooms in Hawick, Eyemouth and Tweedbank
• Connect Berwickshire Youth Project was awarded £27,987.37 for their project From Tired to Thriving, which aims to transform their outdated Duns youth space into a modern, safe, and accessible environment with energy-efficient upgrades, inclusive facilities, and co-designed features that reflect the creativity of the young people who use it.
• Connect Berwickshire Youth Project was awarded £38,604.80 for their project Keeping up with the Kitchen, which aims to upgrade the Eyemouth Youth Centre with energyefficient windows, new carpeting, updated seating and desks, minor roof repairs, and refreshed interior spaces to match the quality of care and support offered to young people
• Galashiels Rugby was awarded £13,483.24 to transform an old portacabin at Netherdale into a warm, safe and youthfriendly hub for local young people aged 12–18. Once complete, the upgraded space will offer quiet study areas, WiFi, hot drinks, a pool table and dedicated youth sessions, helping to fill the gap between school and training in a rural area with limited facilities.

For further details please email ukgovfunding@scotborders.gov.uk

Written by Daniel (YLAG Member) and Chris McAlpine (YLAG Co-ordinator)