A vital youth service which is helping tackle anti-social behaviour in Peebles has won a £7,000 funding reprieve after supporters backed its work.

Based at the Drill Hall, Oor Space Youthy (OSY) is at the forefront of supporting young people in the town.

The organisation applied to Tweeddale Area Partnership for £7,014 towards the £9,570 cost of staff salaries for the two leaders and hall rent for the first half of 2024.

A funding panel recommendation to the committee was for members not to grant the application, but to delay it for further information.

A comment with the recommendation stated: “The panel was concerned about the financial sustainability of this organisation in the latter part of 2024 and onwards and felt that there was insufficient evidence that this was being actively addressed.”

But Partnership members spoke out in the group’s defence and the funding was endorsed.

Peebles Community Council chair Pater Maudsley said: “This is an asset to Peebles. There is a small risk looking into the future with regard to them but they fight for the grants to keep going constantly in an environment where there is no annual funding.

“What they are doing is absolutely remarkable. I think it would be a tragedy if they don’t get the funding they need.”

Councillor Julie Pirone said: “This organisation is vital to our community. The work that they do with young people is second to none and I don’t know what we would do as a community without them. They have sat hand in hand with me to try and fight anti-social behaviour and some of the success is borne out in the figures.”

Professional youth worker Clare Swann, of OSY, added: “I set this up in Peebles. Youth work really is important to me and I think it makes and breaks communities. Youth work has lost all its statutory funding over the past 12 to 15 years, every bit of it, which is really sad.

“We are not a big organisation, we are just local people who, through speaking to our own kids and our own neighbours, realised there were gaps. We want to be sustainable because we genuinely care.”

Councillor Robin Tatler supported giving the full amount but said the organisation does need to “push for sustainability”, adding: “We can’t be in a position next year or in a few months at looking at another application for this.”