West Cornforth - Young People Award Winner

The Durham village of West Cornforth is a very inclusive community where all residents are encouraged to get involved in community life – from the youngest to the oldest.

The Cornforth Partnership, set up in 1995, is used to identify the needs of the village and works with the support of the Parish Council and other agencies to meet them. The Partnership carries out capital and revenue projects and programmes aimed at the social, environmental, recreational and economic regeneration of the village. In particular, transport, or the lack of it, is a key issue in West Cornforth which the Partnership is trying to address. It is also trying to tackle the high level of unemployment with facilities for skills training, assistance with writing CVs and the possibility of providing a job centre.

The Community Hall acts as the centre for many of the village’s activities, which are advertised to the wider community as well as village residents. Villagers are hoping to further enhance this facility with a proposed refurbishment and extension of the football team’s changing rooms.

In particular, the consideration and facilities provided for young people in West Cornforth are outstanding. The fact that they arose on the whole through the work of the youth council – Youth Aloud, makes it even more impressive. It’s the young people of the village that were instrumental in the setting up of a youth drop in centre – No 66, which opened in December 2006. The drop in centre is also run by the young residents and they have their own bank account and organised activities, as well as offering advice to each other. There is also a programme of youth activities in the village which is put together by the school and the community, with the support of the Partnership.

West Cornforth has a population of about 2,400.

Visit the West Cornforth web site at www.cornforth.org.uk