A YOUTH charity is looking to raise funds to change the lives of disadvantaged young people living in York and the surrounding areas with a new campaign.

The Youth Hostel Association (YHA), who support vulnerable children throughout England and Wales, has launched Project90 which has been set up to give a total of 900 young people a life enriching residential trip, 90 of those young people will be from the Yorkshire and Humberside region.

The youth charity wants to ensure that children who need them the most do not miss out on life-shaping experiences.

This Christmas, YHA wants to raise enough money to send Yorkshire and Humberside’s most vulnerable young people on a two-night holiday, including transport and all meals, to one of its youth hostels.

Laura Watson, manager of Malham youth hostel, said: “We know that getting out of your comfort zone, being physically active and being outdoors all have hugely positive effects on physical and mental wellbeing, which is exactly what young people living challenging lives need.”

Donations will enable children who need it the most take part in the trip, which will be filled with team activities including seashore safaris and fossil hunting at YHA Boggle Hole near Whitby, and rock climbing, abseiling and caving at YHA Malham in nearby Skipton.

Mrs Watson went on to say: “Project90 will allow us to reach those young people in our area who are most in need, but we can only achieve our ambition if people donate.”

Project90 marks the charity’s 90th anniversary which it celebrates next year.

It aims to reach a total of 900 young people across the 10 regions of England and Wales.

Research has shown that in Yorkshire and Humberside, 217,571 children were living in poverty in 2018, which is five per cent more than in 2010.

According to the End Child Poverty Coalition, it is estimated that 29 per cent of children living in York Central are trapped in poverty.

For further information and to donate to the campaign, visit: yha.org.uk/donate