A Tamworth charity which caters for young people with special needs is celebrating a £1,522 windfall from the Tamworth Co-op.
SPIN (Special People In Need) is a support group formed in 1988 by a group of parents and carers of young people. It has evolved into a youth club with around 150 members who meet every Wednesday at Tamworth Youth Centre in Spinning School Lane from 7.15pm-9.30pm.
Pictured in the back row during the cheque presentation are Julie Gasper (Tamworth Co-op’s Business Support Manager), Nathan Baldwin, Andrew Forrest, Stephen Reynolds (All SPIN members), Marion Mawdsley (DJ and SPIN volunteer) and Peter Geldard (SPIN treasurer). In the front row are: Julie Clark (Tamworth supermarket manager), Sylvia Geldard (SPIN leader) and SPIN members Ryan Whittaker, Charlotte Mawdsley and Natalie Barber.
The group caters for people aged 13 plus and recently had its youth funding withdrawn by Staffordshire County Council because many of its members are aged over 25.
SPIN leader Sylvia Geldard says the amount of money the group received from the Tamworth Co-op has left everybody ‘over the moon.’
“We are now at a stage where we are completely self-funded and to get this cheque is just brilliant,” she said.
“We’ve been organising a prom on an annual basis for a while now and this money will help us make it even better.
“We’ve had so many members asking about it. They absolutely love it. In addition to the prom, this will also boost our general kitty.”