MORE than £100,000 has been dished out to youth projects in the county after children bid for the cash.

The Youth Opportunity and Capital Fund, which is Government money dished out by Oxfordshire County Council, gave 28 schemes a boost this summer.

All applications had to be made by the young people using the projects and each request was assessed by young people on panels throughout the county.

One of the successful ones was Lej, a weekly youth club at the Forum Youth Centre in Kidlington, which received £2,495 to create a video game zone.

Cliff Wishart, who runs the project with wife Hayley, said: “One of the things the kids really enjoy is the Xbox and the 42-inch screen with the Rock Band game.

“They really love playing on the guitar, being a drummer or a singer. It has been huge and really pulled the group together.”

He added: “We noticed kids hanging around streets in the village on Friday nights so we started Lej, which is slang for legendary, to give the kids something to do.

“The gaming zone has really got them off the streets. Sometimes we have 25 here, sometimes 40.

“I really liked the way the funding was done with the kids applying for it themselves.

“We’re really grateful to the fund for giving the kids a second chance, they’ve really grown through that.”

The Courtyard Youth Arts Centre in Bicester was handed £2,564 to put on a summer music and dance event in late July.

Centre co-ordinator Jane Sperinck said: “It paid for professional-standard staging for our summer event. It was designed as a celebration of young people in the local community and we asked them what they would like. They said they really wanted a professional stage setup.

“The event took place on July 25 and it was fantastic – everyone had a great time. The weather was very kind to us, but the staging allowed us to carry on if it had rained.”

Louise Chapman, the county council’s cabinet member for children, young people and families, said: “This is a fantastic way of identifying those projects that will really make a difference to the lives of young people.”

Groups awarded grants were: The Vibe, Didcot Youth Centre – £4,295

The Edge Youth Club, Chiltern Edge – £2,725

Wantage Youth Centre – £6,562

Emmanuel Church, Oxford – £1,595

Lej, Kidlington – £2,495

Barnardo’s, Banbury – £5,500

The Allandale Centre, Carterton Youth Centre – £5,750

Reign Youth Ministries, Bicester – £900

The Courtyard Youth Arts Centre, Bicester – £2,564

VOX Inc, Northway – £7,500

Children in Touch, Wolvercote – £6,141

Parasol, Northway – £7,500

Riverside Centre – £3,384

Trax – £2,340

African Caribbean Project, Blackbird Leys – £7,005 Jericho Youth Club – £1,000

Mabel Prichard School – £5,076

Woodcote Youth Centre – £1,704

Harwell Parish Council – £2,490

Base 33, Witney – £7,500

Oxford City Council, Summer Screen – Dance Docu – 4,800

Damascus youth project ‘Results !’ – £1,900

Damascus youth project ‘Minute Movie’ – £1,300

Oxford Young Carers Project, Cowley Road – £4,949

Henley Youth Centre – £3,320

Residential course for looked-after children – £7,500

Participation and Play Team, Winter Ball 2010 – £5,000

Faringdon Youth Club – £1,870