AN ALLOA youth charity is set to grow its activities, reaching more young people thanks to a funding award for the next two years.

Connect Alloa has received just over £66,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund, opening up opportunities for people to join and help the organisation grow.

The money will help fund a full time project leader in the charity's founder Dave Crozier, a part time digital engagement worker as well as a part time youth worker.

Applications for the latter post are open and Dave is thrilled to be able to offer the 10 hour a week post for the next year and a half.

Ecstatic, he said: "It's about providing employment opportunities, it's about providing the service that we want to – that we've not been capable of because of different hours [of working] – and it's about being able to build up our numbers of young people as well."

Dave is keen to continue his drive in making Connect Alloa youth-led to benefit young people with the organisation aiming to reduce social isolation.

To that end, young people taking part in sessions are asked to provide feedback and Dave is planning to hold monthly youth forums where young people can assemble as a board to evaluate what is on offer on a bigger scale.

The funding will also pay for office rent and utilities for the good cause along with training, activities and refreshments at youth sessions.

As previously reported, Connect Alloa has returned to face-to-face youth sessions while retaining some of its digital offering.

The youth charity is slowly gaining traction again with a trickle of new people coming in.

According to Dave, the coming year for the youth charity will focus on "here and now", but he does have plans for the long term.

Dave told the Advertiser: "Something we are thinking about is detached youth work, I've contacted the council who are quite happy to work on that with us because they are already doing some of it."

Detached, or street, youth work would see the good cause build more connections, outwith the usual venues.

"It's something that we would like to look into when the right fund comes across our path", explained Dave.

"Otherwise it's about getting our service right, building up the numbers we've got, also trying to get our name out there a little bit more to make sure people know us and recognise us."

Dave and the Connect Alloa team gave a "huge thank you" to the National Lottery Community Fund for its support.

People with experience interested in the part time youth worker position with Connect Alloa can email vacancies@connectalloa.org.uk for an application pack and submit their CV and covering letter back no later than June 21.