£20,000 donation for children who are ‘One In A Million’

A children’s charity has received £20,000 to continue its work in the Keighley community following a donation from a local manufacturer.

One In A Million is dedicated to engaging with children and young people in disadvantaged areas through sports, arts and enterprise and has benefitted from the money gifted by chemical specialist, Airedale Group.

It has been used to continue the charity’s work at its Keighley hub in the Sue Belcher Community Centre. It has also provided training for one of its young people, Daniel Pearson, to gain a qualification in youth work and sponsored four other children in its programme.

Craig McHugh, corporate relations executive at One In A Million, explains: “The funding we have received from Airedale Group has been fantastic for the running of our much-needed Keighley hub, but has also been transformational for Daniel.

“It has allowed him to gain a qualification in youth work and begin his career with One In A Million, providing fantastic peer support for the other children we see at the centre. At just 16 years old, he has already achieved great things and has an incredibly positive and exciting future ahead of him.”

Daniel adds: “Volunteering with One In A Million has helped me find my passion for youth work. I help plan and develop sessions, work with kids club and youth club and have gained several qualifications including forest schools training, food hygiene and youth work.

“I love facing new challenges which take me out of my comfort zone, and with the team’s support I get to lead some of the sessions. Now I feel really excited about the future.”

The hubs are essential to the charity being able to engage with the communities that need their support the most and to help break the cycle of deprivation.

Richard Ward, managing director of Airedale Group, says: “It is incredibly rewarding to be able to see so clearly the benefit of the donations we make to our communities and to hear what Daniel has been able to achieve with the support of One in A Million. They obviously provide a greatly-appreciated service in the community which is making a meaningful difference to the lives of young people in the area.”

Airedale Group manufactures and supplies speciality and commodity chemicals, small packing services and blending solutions across the UK and Europe from its headquarters in North Yorkshire.