Celebrating Volunteer Week: Our Volunteers

We are delighted to announce the appointment of Paul Lawrence, Head of Fundraising and Communications.

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Paul joined Young Bristol in July 2026 as Head of Fundraising and Communications. Prior to joining Young Bristol, the majority of his 30 year career has been spent in the voluntary youth sector, having come through similar organisations to Young Bristol in London and Essex. Paul was also CEO for Oxfordshire Association for Young People for six years. Recently, he was Head of Fundraising for a global charity and CEO of a large youth centre in London. Paul has over 20 years of experience with charity fundraising, with a particular focus on events and has taken part in many fundraising events that include climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and running the London Marathon.

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Paul’s passion for this work comes from seeing young people have the opportunity to fulfil their potential. He strongly believes that youth clubs and activity-based programmes are powerful ways to achieve this, shaped by his own experience of youth networks and activities as a young person, which set him on his chosen career path.

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We hope you will join us in welcoming Paul to the Young Bristol team! To find out more about our team click here.

We are pleased to share that the Bristol International Balloon Fiesta has chosen Young Bristol as its official charity partner, marking the start of a three-year partnership from 2026 to 2028.

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United by a shared commitment to opportunity, belonging and community connection, the three-year collaboration will build towards a pair of milestone anniversaries. In 2028, the Fiesta will celebrate its 50th year, while Young Bristol reaches 100 years of supporting young people across the city.

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Across the partnership, Young Bristol will work alongside the Fiesta to open doors for young people to explore opportunities. From engineering and logistics to creative production and live events, the collaboration will shine a light on the pathways that sit behind one of Bristol’s most distinctive global industries.‍

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Together, we aim to broaden horizons, raise aspirations and create a lasting impact that extends far beyond the moment the balloons take flight.

We are pleased to share we have recently welcomed to our team Destiny Barwe, a university student undertaking a placement year with us.

Destiny is a psychology student, studying at the University of Plymouth, working with us Young Bristol between her second and third year of study. She was born and raised in Bristol and is pleased to take this opportunity to give back to the city she loves. Throughout her education so far, she has established a particular interest in child developmental psychology. She is conscious of the value of creating and nurturing spaces and relationships for young people, in terms of their social and cognitive development.

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Destiny is eager to get to know the young people, looking forward to both having fun with and providing support for them. During her time with Young Bristol, she hopes to gain a deeper professional understanding of youth work, both in terms of delivery and the work that enables youth charities to be able to provide these programmes. She aims to use the skills gained through her degree and apply her psychological knowledge to real-world situations, in a way that will make a tangible difference.

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Find out more about our opportunities to volunteer and get involved with Young Bristol here.

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On Friday 3rd July, we were pleased to attend the Bristol Young Heroes Awards to support our four young people who were nominated as finalists.

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The Bristol Young Heroes Awards recognises and celebrates the valuable contribution that Bristol's young people make to the city. The awards shine a light on those who have overcome difficult circumstances, made a difference to the lives of others, or have achieved something extraordinary this year!

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‍Juan, Outdoor Employment Programme - Overall Hero

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Congratulations to Juan from Young Bristol's Outdoor Employment Programme, who was awarded the Overall Hero Award at the Bristol Young Heroes!

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Juan was originally nominated for the Action Hero Award as they have faced considerable adversity, prejudice in their community, and financial instability. Since joining the Outdoor Employment Programme, Juan has shown incredible determination to succeed against all odds, where they have already gained a number of qualifications in outdoor pursuits, encouraged and supported others to join and engage with the programme, and enrolled into college to take their GCSEs this year.

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Phil Harris, Outdoor Employment Programme Lead said,

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"J initially comes across really quiet, but underneath there is so much strength and resilience. Everything we do at the Outdoor Employment Programme, he always attends, even when he has faced so much adversity and is trying to complete college courses within a year. You have changed how I look at the world, and your kindness, consideration and calmness in the face in such difficulty every day is outstanding!"

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Tico, Hartcliffe Club for Young People- Sports Hero

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Congratulations to Tico from Hartcliffe Club for Young People, who was awarded the Environmental Hero Award at the Bristol Young Heroes!

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Tico was nominated for the Environmental Hero as he is an outstanding young environmental leader whose passion, commitment, and hands‑on action are transforming the way young people in Bristol understand and care for the natural world. His work goes far beyond personal interest—Tico is actively shaping a greener future for his community by educating, inspiring, and mobilising others.

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Sian Williams, Youth Worker at Hartcliffe Club for Young People said,

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"Tico really stood out when I first met him, he was naturally inquisitive and had a passion for the environment. He's helped us develop our green space, and has been involved in making our building more environmentally sustainable - he is best known for planting over 100 trees during a summer project. We cannot thank you enough for your passion, drive and knowledge. You not only inspire others, but inspire me!"

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When receiving his award, Tico added,

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"My one piece of advice to be more environmentally friendly is to start by not littering and trying to plant more plants"

This month, we were excited to invite 6 young people from across our Community Youth Club network to join us at the NABGC Essex Adventure Weekend!

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We were pleased to see young people from Ashton Vale Club for Young People, Avon Youth Club, BS14 Youth Club and the Youth Club on Wheels Hengrove session take part in a jam-packed weekend full of activities at Thriftwood Scout Camp Site, from Friday 3rd July - Sunday 5th July 2026!

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Across the weekend, young people were involved with a number of sports activities, including axe throwing, archery, rifle shooting, Jacob's ladder, postmans mate, kayaking, raft-building, cresta run and bush craft. Our young people were also involved in a variety of other group activities including tug of war, assault courses and smores making. During each activity across the weekend, we saw our group meet new people from across the country, try new opportunities and build friendships for life!

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"She hasn’t stopped taking about it since coming home. She loved the Essex Adventure Weekend!"

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said parent of a young person

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"As a Youth Worker, it's always an amazing feeling when you take young people who don’t know each other away and starting to see them forming friendships. It’s great to see that, even though we had young people from four different areas of Bristol, they were able to come together and form a strong-bonded group for this weekend."

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said Jason Beckhelling-Terry, Head of Youth Work

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Thank you NABGC and Essex Boys and Girls Clubs for arranging an amazing weekend, giving young people the opportunity to try new things and learn life skills!

Young Bristol and members of our Outdoor Employment Programme were delighted to take part in the 2026 Bristol Rotary Dragon Boat Race, joining teams from across the city on Bristol's Harbourside.

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The Bristol Rotary Dragon Boat Race is an annual event organised by the Bristol Breakfast Rotary Club. The event aims to raise money for local charities, and is open to everyone, regardless of experience, to take part in. The day is well known for its fun atmosphere and community spirit.

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The Dragon Boat Race was an incredible opportunity for Young Bristol and our Outdoor Employment Programme Trainees to meet local organisations, build new connections and raise awareness of the vital work we provide young people across the city.

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"I had an amazing time taking part in the Dragon Boat race, I'm excited to come back next year to win!"

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said Outdoor Employment Programme Trainees

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Our team also enjoyed speaking with local businesses, charities and groups who wanted to learn more about Young Bristol, and how we support young people across the city, providing them with a safe space and caring, trusted adults.

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We would like to share thanks to the Bristol Rotary Club for hosting an incredible event, we look forwards to hopefully joining again next year! If you would like to find out about accessing opportunities through our Outdoor Employment Programme, click here. If you would like to support Young Bristol, click here and find out how to get started.

On Thursday 18th June, Young Bristol were delighted to host our annual Golf Day & Dinner. We invited golfers to the Tall Pines Golf Club, all competing to win the trophy on the 18-hole course.

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Our Golf Day & Dinner saw a number of golfers taking part in our annual Golf Day & Dinner at the Tall Pines Golf Club. The event saw teams put their golfing abilities to the test, competing to win a range of amazing prizes!

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Guests began their day with a bacon roll, hot drinks and a goody bag, which were filled with golf tees, golf markers, balls, snack bars, water to keep our golfers hydrated throughout the day, and some other amazing gifts donated by our Title Sponsors, Burges Salmon!

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Many of our teams arrived early, excited to kick off the day around the course with a putting competition! Teams also took the opportunity to network with their competitors whilst waiting for their tee time.

We are pleased to share that Ecosafe Group were awarded 'Highly Commended' for the 'Living Your Social Purpose' Award at the SNG Social Value Awards 2026, after their incredible Social Value work with Young Bristol!

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The SNG Social Value Awards recognise innovation, collaboration and meaningful community impact achieved in 2025-2026. The event celebrates suppliers, partners and individuals who have made a positive impact on local communities and individuals.

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At the event, Ellie Kershaw, YB Marketing, Communications and Programmes Administrator, spoke about the partnership alongside Carly Gray, Senior Marketing and Social Value Manager at Ecosafe Group about 'Making a difference through social value partnerships'.

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Ecosafe's Social Value work have included completing fire safety works at BS14 Youth Club, improving the protection of the busy community venue, used by children and young people, staff members and other service users. This work helps Young Bristol to continue providing safe spaces to young people, staffed with caring, trusted adults, encouraging young people to build confidence, engage in health relationships and develop new skills.

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Carly has also supported Ellie through mentoring over the last six months, where she has provided Ellie with practical guidance, confidence-building and professional development in her role. This has supported Young Bristol to continue achieving our 2025-28 strategic priorities, building sustainable roles and careers within a structure that supports long term growth and ambitions.

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"When I initially met Carly back in December, I didn’t really know what to expect from mentoring, and was nervous about what was to come. I’d never had a personal 1-1 mentor before but I thought it may be helpful in helping with new ideas or tools.

The confidence I feel I’ve grown as a result of these sessions, shows up both in my work life and personal life, and everyone at Young Bristol, my friends and my family have all noticed the positive change.

The experience I have had has shown me that mentoring is all about making you feel seen, heard and believed in, and feeling like you have a safe space to grow, develop and learn new things."

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said Ellie, Marketing, Communications and Programme Administrator.

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We would like to share a huge thank you to both Ecosafe Group and SNG for their incredible social value work at our buildings and with our team, helping us to continue to achieve our 2025-28 strategy. Congratulations to everyone who won an award at the event on Tuesday 10th June 2026. Watch more about their social value work here. To find out more about supporting Young Bristol, click here and visit our 'Support Us' page.

On Sunday 24th May, BBS Plumbing and Heating Supplies hosted a Charity Football Match at Ashton Gate Football Stadium to raise money for Young Bristol!

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BBS Plumbing and Heating Supplies are one of our incredible, valued supporters, who have previously supported us through donations of sanitaryware, bake sales as well as through their 90th birthday dinner!

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The Charity Football Match saw BBS staff and customers come together at Ashton Gate Football Stadium, competing head-to-head to raise money for Young Bristol! The day ended with a delicious meal and an awards ceremony for all the players that took part.

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The incredible event raised £1,100, which will help us to further support young people to improve their wellbeing, increase their physical activity, develop teamwork and communication skills, and build long-term confidence.

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We would like to say a huge thank you to BBS Plumbing and Heating, as well as everyone that took part, donated and helped make the event a fantastic success!

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Looking to support a charity but not sure where to start? Click here to learn more how you can support Young Bristol - our fundraising team are able to support you every step of the way!