A Street Sports project in Newmarket is set to become a long term fixture thanks to receiving nearly £20,000 funding from the Western Suffolk Community Safety Partnership.

The pilot project, Street Football, kicked off on 7 May and is being run by Anglia Community Leisure, the operators of Forest Heath's leisure centres. Sessions are free and are held from 6.30pm to 8.30pm at The Severals. The project is targeting young people who meet up around The Severals and Newmarket Town Centre with nothing to do. The idea is to reduce anti-social behavior and criminal damage by offering teenagers a better way to spend their time.

Over the first few weeks, word has spread and the sessions have grown. The Western Suffolk Community Safety Partnership has been delighted with the take up so far and has announced this week that they will add an extra £19,244 to extend the pilot to other areas of Forest Heath and to include different sports such as basketball and outdoor gyms.

Keiran Williams Community Sports Leader and Project Coordinator says "We want to give young people something to do in the evening, and at the same time make the area safer for local residents and shop workers. People are already spreading the word to their friends and if the sessions continue to grow we could develop a great street sport scene across the district."