LOCAL youth groups in the East End received £70,000 in grants in 2013.

It is the first year of a five-year project by community-based legacy project Active East to help build a lasting legacy from the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

So far 17 local organisations have benefited from the initiative, including young people's charity PEEK, which secured funding for tricking classes for young members.

Inspired by 12-year-old trickster Andrew McCallum, they organised weekly sessions at Hadouken Tricking Academy to learn the martial arts, free running, gymnastics and break dancing skills.

After the 20-week programme they held a final showcase and awards ceremony.

Stacey Bradley, 32, a youth co-ordinator at PEEK, said: "Andrew came to us, it was something that was close to his heart.

"He was sick of his friends running against walls and hurting themselves so he wanted to do it in a safe environment.

"We helped him apply to Active East."

A total of 28 young people, aged between 11 and 17, took part in the programme learning a range of skills.

Active East provided more than £2800 to fund the project which was celebrated with a final performance for friends and family.

Stacey said: "They grew in confidence, their self-esteem was built up and they became more physically fit and some of the them lost weight and they commented on that.

"They learnt lots of different skills, they learnt to back flip and somersault and run up walls.

"Without the Active East budget we probably would not have found that funding elsewhere.

"We have gained that contact with the tricking academy and the children have got reduced cost membership to keep going."

Active East offered grants through two strands of the overall project.

A young volunteer strand called Active Champions for those aged 14 to 25 is a bespoke programme tailored to their individual interests in sport and physical activity.

And a Small Grants strand which provides partner organisations access to funding for new physical activity provision and training.

Scottish Sports Futures, Connect Community Trust, Reidvale Youth 'N' Action and PEEK, all of whom ­deliver basketball sessions, partnered up on an application for a basketball Getting Started course for volunteers and staff members.

They have all gone on to put their training into practice, setting up training in their community.

Last month Active East hosted an awards evening to celebrate the success of the programme and rewards the efforts of the 27 partner organisations and the 63 active champions involved so far.

This year they are hoping to get even more people ­involved in the project.

Lisa-Marie Jamieson, programme administrator at Active East, said the ­programme was helping to break down barriers to ­allow more young people to enjoy physical activities.

She said: "Our aim overall is to see the partners and the young people be able to carry that on and build it up so they can continue without us.

"It is really important to see that there is something in the community.

"The Commonwealth Games is the catalyst and we keep fuelling the activities."

matty.sutton@eveningtimes.co.uk