A leading youth charity is appealing to people to part with a pound to make a difference to the lives of local young people who need it the most.

Proceeds from YHA’s Christmas Raffle, which has a first prize of £3000, will go towards ensuring that no child misses out on the transformative power of a residential school trip.

With the cost of living rising, more and more families and schools being forced to cancel school trips away. Many children, particularly those from low-income families, are having to miss out on the chance of their first night away from home with school friends.

All money raised will go towards YHA’s No Child Left Behind campaign which is being supported by Eastenders and Gavin and Stacey TV star Larry Lamb.

Larry’s first outdoor experience was on a youth hostelling holiday in the late 1950s. Seven decades later, after reading about YHA’s No Child Left Behind appeal, he was moved to make a donation and has now become an ambassador for the campaign.

He said: “I have very fond memories as a boy of staying in youth hostels and being in places the like of which I had never set foot in before, and this has stayed with me all these years. It’s so important that all young people experience the wonderful environments in and around youth hostels.

“The No Child Left Behind campaign will enable YHA to continue to do the work they do to look after young people in the face of the cost-of-living crisis and I would urge people to donate.”

Through donations to the No Child Left Behind fund, YHA wants to enable a minimum of 10,000 young people to have a residential school trip. The fund will provide bursaries to schools to help support pupils whose families are unable to afford the cost of a residential school trip to a hostel in England and Wales.

YHA’s Christmas raffle tickets cost just £1.00 each and, as well as the first prize is £3,000, there are also a number of runner-up cash and voucher prizes available.

The raffle closes at midnight on 22nd December with all winners receiving their cash and prizes in time for Christmas.

Previous raffles by YHA (England & Wales) have successfully fundraised to provide life-changing adventures and crucial breaks for 1,800 vulnerable young people and NHS and frontline workers and their families.

To help ensure a local young person doesn’t miss out on a residential school trip with their class, purchase tickets for the YHA Christmas Raffle at https://getinvolved.yha.org.uk/fundraising/raffle/