Published: Thursday, 6th March 2025
Boost West Norfolk marked a milestone on Wednesday 5 March having supported over 300 young people in the borough.
Participants talked about how they had benefited from the project at a celebration held at St George’s Guildhall in King’s Lynn.
Boost, which is delivered by Norfolk County Council, started in King’ Lynn as a Town Deal project and after two years it was so successful that last year it expanded to be borough-wide, funded by the Borough Council through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).
Cllr Jo Rust, Cabinet member for People and Communities, said: “At Cabinet on Tuesday (4 March) we agreed to extend funding for the Boost project in West Norfolk for a further year as a priority project under UKSPF.
“Giving young people throughout the borough access to this support has proved invaluable to over 300 people aged between 16 to 30 years old. I’m pleased to see the continuation of this project which will give more young people access to employment support, advice, and training, working alongside the West Norfolk Training Grants scheme.”
Vicky Etheridge, Chair of the King’s Lynn Town Deal Board, said: “Developing King’s Lynn’s potential and encouraging young people to invest in their future here is fundamental to the vision of the Town Board and the Town Investment Plan. Boost was an important early project for the Towns Fund and it is brilliant to see it continuing for even longer to support and enable even more young people.”
Jo McKenzie – English, Skills Partnership Project Manager from Norfolk County Council said: “I am really proud of the passion and determination of my team, it is with their knowledge and understanding of young people that has brought BOOST to where it is today. We have seen a huge number of successes over the last three years across West Norfolk and I am delighted to receive further funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, this will enable us to reach and support more young people across the borough.
“I would strongly urge anyone who wants to move forward with their lives to contact us to see how we can help, you never know BOOST might just bring you the opportunity you need.”
Teddy O’Neill took part in Civil Service Movement to Work and was introduced to Boost in June 2024 and says: “I explained my aspirations to Lisa from the Boost team and asked if she could help me find work experience within the council, she was approachable and very supportive.
“A few days later Boost organised some work experience at the Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk. I learned many insights into the day-to-day operations of different teams within the organisation. It confirmed that my aspirations to work in the council were well placed.
“A few months later, I was offered an interview for an admin apprenticeship within the department of parks and open spaces, where the insights I had learnt helped me again. I was fortunately offered that job, in part thanks to the support of Boost. I would recommend Boost to any young people with aspirations for skill improvement or more stable employment.”
If you are a young person or an employer in West Norfolk that would like to find out more about how Boost can help, please get in touch, email boost@norfolk.gov.uk
More details about Boost and the event held on Wednesday 5 March in the video below.