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<p>My department does not hold data around the number of youth clubs that have closed
since April 2020.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Government recognises the important
role that youth groups play in communities, which is why we recently announced the
£16.5 million Youth Covid-19 Support Fund (YCSF) that will protect the immediate future
of grassroots and national youth services across the country. The YCSF opened on Friday
15 January 2021 and will remain open until 19 February. It will help to mitigate the
impact of lost income during the winter period due to the coronavirus pandemic, and
ensure services providing vital support can remain viable.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>This
funding will be drawn from the unprecedented £750m package for the voluntary and community
sector. More than £60m of this has already been directed towards organisations supporting
children and young people.</p><p> </p>
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