A YOUTH service is celebrating its third year anniversary and its recent short listing for an award which would see it gain national recognition.

Youth Engagement Slough (YES) formed three years ago when Slough-based organisations Aik Saath – a charity supporting young people, Resource Productions – a TV, film and video production company, and SWIPE – a music making group – joined forces to devise and deliver services for children and young people in Slough.

Since then YES has brought together more than 20 community groups as YES Associates, worked with them to engage with more than 2,500 children and young people each year, delivered more than 20 free activities every week, opened a free-to-use shop space in the Queensmere Shopping Centre, and developed a Riverside Centre for Slough with the support of a range of partners, including Slough Borough Council and Artswork.

YES is also celebrating its recent short listing as ‘Best Alternative Provider’ at the Times Educational Supplement (TES) Schools Awards. The winners will be revealed at a sparkling awards ceremony and dinner in the Grosvenor House Hotel in Park Lane, London, on Friday, June 24.

Jamie Green, SWIPE, YES chairman said: “YES has always been about putting Slough’s young people first and great local partner organisations working together around them, it’s fantastic to see that reflected in an independent report and everyone involved should be proud of what’s been achieved.”

Rob Deeks, Aik Saath, YES project manager, said: “The motto of YES is ‘working together for young people’ and it’s a privilege to be involved in something that’s creating so many new opportunities for young people in our town while developing unprecedented levels of co-operation between voluntary sector groups and with the local authority. There has been a great deal of consensus locally behind what YES has been achieving in Slough – to have that validated by an external national body with the reputation of the National Youth Agency is both reassuring and gratifying.”