A TEAM of young people from the Skipton and South Craven have joined forces to set up a Facebook Group encouraging young people to share their experiences and the opportunities they find in the area, following on from the recent Covid-19 lockdown.

The group, named Fresh Perspective, was originally set up in 2019 by Great Place: Lakes and Dales, which is working to increase the number of under 35s choosing to live and work in the area, and is now led completely by young people aged 25 and below.

The introduction of lockdown has spurred the group into action. They began a new digital project including a series of insta-lives called ‘Joy in Numbers’ to encourage virtual socialising, with activities ranging from song-writing to paper-making to joyful postcards.

The weekly workshops, classes and tutorials proved so popular that following the easing of lockdown restrictions they now plan to host sessions in person with a range of experts and creative professionals.

Great Place Lakes and Dales’ programme manager Lindsey Hebden said: “It’s been fantastic to see this group of young people take the idea of Fresh Perspective and make it their own. As they plan for the future we are working with other local partners to see how we can expand and develop the idea further.”

The young people have also re-introduced a private Facebook group and are encouraging anyone aged under 25 from the area to request to join. This will be an online space to share ideas, voice opinions and find out about events going on in the local area.

Sian Laura, 25, one of the organising members of Fresh perspective and who is from Skipton said: “We feel our response has been both positive and pro-active. It’s actually created an opportunity for us to get together within a digital space to discuss how we want to bring more young people together, accomplish local projects and engage in the sorts of things we enjoy when we are not at work, college or university.”

To join visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/skiptonfreshperspective/ or search ‘Fresh Perspective Workshops and Events” on Facebook.

Great Place: Lakes and Dales is one of 16 pilot projects in England funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Arts Council England until March 2021 and focuses on linking Skipton in the south and Grasmere in the north.

The programme is managed via the Consortium of Partnership Organisations, which is made up of funding partners including Craven District Council and the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.