On Sunday 4th July 2021 local families attended Start It Right’s first community event to celebrate the launch of its youth services in Croydon.

Held at Old Town Youth Club, the Family Day and Launch Party welcomed local residents to take part in a range of exciting games and activities as well as exploring different services offered to young people in the summer.

Supported by the National Lottery Community Fund, the event enabled families to enjoy a relaxing day with other members of the community after what has been a challenging year for many due to Covid-19.

Guests were able to participate in an array of activities including face painting, sports games, bouncy castle and a raffle competition.

The family-fun themed event also showcased the amazing diversity of the community of Croydon including the support of other local organisations involved.

Our sponsor, Playtime at the Pavilion, provided ample support throughout the running of the event as well as our partner, local football organisation Cre8 football, who joined in the festivities.

We also welcomed teams from Art Press and East Croydon Cool to deliver a variety of arts and crafts based activities to encourage families to get creative and take a piece of memorabilia home for the day.

The team from Asian Resource Centre Croydon were also available to deliver health checks and inform visitors of ways to boost their mental health and wellbeing.

The event also demonstrated the inspiring generosity of the team of volunteers, many of whom are local residents, who helped throughout the day to bring the community together on this special occasion.

Being a new youth-led organisation established in the midst of the pandemic, Start It Right aims to build effective relationships with other organisations and individuals to transform the lives of young people in Croydon.

Having one of the highest youth populations of all boroughs in London, Start It Right is keen to make its mark within Croydon and encourage young people to become active and positive members of their community.

This also involves delivering its first holiday playscheme, aimed for young people ages 8-12, to take part in extracurricular activities over the summer holidays.

Start It Right also aspires to deliver other youth projects and a ‘Thrive ‘N’ Flex’ mentoring programmes for young people later on in the year and looks forward to making a viable impact in Croydon for many years to come.

The Founder and Director Alexia Lee said: ‘ What a wonderful day! It has been immensely rewarding to be able to introduce Start It Right to local families at our first community event. As a community-focused organisation, we are passionate and committed to building the foundations of our youth projects within the heart of Croydon and supporting our young people to prepare for a brighter and bolder future. Thank you to our supporter, the National Lottery Community Fund for making this event possible and for everyone who joined us on this memorable day - we look forward to future opportunities where we can come together to commemorate the amazing community spirit of Croydon.’