Game Changer 2026 – W4 Youth giving more free activities to young people in West London

Who we are
W4 Youth provides free activities and trusted youth support for young people at Southfield Recreation Ground in Acton. With support through the Your Voice, Your Acton Town initiative, we expanded an established service.

What we delivered
The funding supported additional coaching and youth provision, helping us move to seven-day-a-week delivery. We are now open Monday to Friday from 4pm to 7pm and Saturday and Sunday from 3pm to 7pm, providing 23 hours of free activities each week.

Young people can take part in football, basketball, boxing fitness, table tennis, volleyball, dance, musical theatre, youth club activities and mentoring. Around 400 individual young people now engage across our wider provision. Friday Night 5s alone regularly brings together around 100 to 140 young people and supporters.

The project grew beyond the original ambition. Instead of limiting the extra hours to one activity, we used the additional capacity to offer a wider mix of sport, arts, mentoring, reflecting what young people told us they wanted.

The difference we made
The project has increased the regular presence of young people, coaches and trusted adults in Southfield Recreation Ground. Structured activities give young people a positive reason to use the park and encourage ownership and respect for the space.

Seven-day provision means the park is more consistently active and supervised during key after-school and weekend periods, helping it feel safer and better used. We also encourage young people to look after the environment they use.

The project has also created progression opportunities. Twenty young people completed our Train the Trainer programme, and 12 moved into paid junior coaching roles.

What we learned
The funding worked well because it was practical and locally focused. It allowed us to build on an existing service and respond directly to local demand. We learned that extra opening hours are most valuable when they provide a broad range of opportunities rather than a single activity. Our relationship with Ealing Council and the Town Team provided a useful route for sharing progress.

What happens next
The extended hours are now part of our regular programme, and we intend to maintain seven-day opening beyond the funded period. We are working to support staffing and coaching costs through grant funding, charitable trusts, local partnerships and fundraising.

We will continue the Train the Trainer programme to develop volunteers and paid junior coaches. Our longer-term aim is not only to maintain the additional provision, but to keep growing it in response to local need.

Our message to others
Locally focused funding can help an established community service grow, create routes into employment and better use of shared public spaces.