In 2006 local people formed a group called Christchurch Activities for Young People (CAYP) to provide low cost and affordable activities for local children and young people who were disadvantaged and living in poverty. The local area of Somerford is an area which has high levels of multiple deprivation and so has a great need.
After years of operating as a small community group CAYP became a Community Interest Company in 2011 and continued to provide out of school activities to children and young people and a other support services to families.
In 2015 Dorset County Council announced the closure of all the youth clubs it ran and invited community groups to submit business plans to take the centres on. In 2016 CAYP set up a Charitable Incorporated Organisation called Christchurch Open Awards Centre (COAC) which then submitted a business plan to Dorset Council which was successful and subsequently was given the ownership of Somerford Youth Club.
In 2020 CAYP ceased as a Community Interest Company and merged into the COAC registered charity. The organisation changed the name from COAC to Somerford Youth and Community Centre (SYCC) Charitable Incorporated Organistaion.
In 2021 having successfully raised £150,000 which included significant funding from The Talbot Village Trust and the Veolia Environmental Trust work is now underway to build our new meeting and training centre in our car park. This will be a two-storey building consisting of group rooms and one to one rooms which we aim to use for training and running small workshops for our young people and the wider community. It is hoped that this building will be in operation by Spring 2022.