In a community hall in east Belfast, children gather after school to work on assignments, play pool and draw cartoons alongside their peers. Ledley Hall Boys and Girls Club operates an after-school homework group with support from BBC Children in Need, creating what staff describe as a vital resource for the local area.
"It's a safe space for them,"says Caitlin McAlinden, a special needs teacher who volunteers four afternoons each week at the club. According to BBC News, the centre has operated since 1942, providing services and activities for the community. For the past three years, funding from BBC Children in Need has enabled the centre to support children up to age 15 with their homework four days a week.
Approximately 45 children are registered with the club, with attendance ranging from 10 to 30 on any given day. Young people attend for various reasons: parents work during after-school hours, they need help with assignments, or they simply want to spend time with friends. The homework club represents one of numerous projects across Northern Ireland backed by the charity.
Why is this support needed?
Michelle Fullerton, senior youth worker at the centre, explains that the informal setting benefits many young people who struggle within traditional school environments.
"They benefit from it being in an informal environment, which works for a lot of young people who maybe don't like being in school a whole lot,"she says. The club also provides crucial assistance to parents who either lack confidence helping with homework or are working when children return home.
"They come home from work and the homework's already done and it's been supervised by someone who is a teacher."
Fullerton notes that educational outcomes in the area are concerning, and the homework club represents an effort to improve academic standards. She emphasises that without BBC Children in Need's support, such provision would be unaffordable for most families.
"We charge 50p, and that's a nominal fee, but if parents were paying to have support for their kids after school to complete homework by someone who's a teacher it would cost a lot more,"she explains.
How is the Children in Need funding used?
Ledley Hall received a three-year grant of approximately £34,000 in 2023, which funds the salary of a part-time teacher and a classroom assistant dedicated to running the homework club. The centre is one of about 100 projects in Northern Ireland supported by BBC Children in Need, though current figures show 89 funded projects worth more than £5m across the region, reaching more than 25,000 children and young people. Nationally, Children in Need supports more than 1,600 local charities and projects across the UK, helping 363,000 children and young people in the last grant year.
Fullerton stresses that the club would not exist without this funding.
"We charge 50p, and that's a nominal fee, but if parents were paying to have support for their kids after school to complete homework by someone who's a teacher it would cost a lot more,"she says. The 2026 appeal, scheduled for Friday, 13 November, aims to raise millions of pounds to enable organisations like Ledley Hall to continue their work.
What benefits do children experience?
McAlinden emphasises that children gain both academic and social advantages from attending the club.
"They know what the rules are about how we work in here and I think just having that safe space for them to come,"she says.
"They know that [we are here] if they need food, if they need support, if they need someone to talk to, if they just want somewhere to come and see their friends."
The need for such groups is particularly acute in areas like east Belfast, McAlinden argues.
"If we don't get our funding... then where do the kids go?"she asks.
"It's a place for them to make friends. They make friends from other schools, they get to maybe make friends with people in their school who they wouldn't usually talk to or anything like that."The club provides a setting where young people can develop friendships across school boundaries and build connections they might not otherwise form.
What happens next?
The main BBC Children in Need appeal show takes place on Friday, 13 November, from 19:00 to 22:00 GMT on BBC One. A dedicated Northern Ireland edition will air on Sunday, 15 November, at 15:50 on BBC One Northern Ireland, hosted by Holly Hamilton and Connor Phillips, filmed at St Teresa's Youth Centre in Belfast. The appeal aims to raise funds to support organisations like Ledley Hall and the hundreds of other projects across the UK that depend on the charity's backing to serve vulnerable children and young people.
