A YOUTH group has been awarded £10,000 of lottery funding to build on its success.

Insyt Media, who give teenagers and young people in Bolton the chance to hone their skills as a DJ, MC, singer, dancer, artist and fashion designer, will use the funds to help even more young people stay off the streets.

After launching in 2008 with MC workshops in secondary schools, Insyt now has 10 permanent members of staff and 12 volunteers.

Founder and project manager Rob Stevenson, aged 35, from Deane, said the lottery funding will be essential to keeping their sizeable number of members busy.

He added: “When we’re at our peak, we can get 45 guys in each week, which means near enough 200 people a month. The money will be spent on equipment, venue hire, insurance, marketing, session costs and volunteer expenses so essentially all the things our expansions entail.”

Insyt’s growth has been dramatic — when it held its first open MC session, just two people turned up.

Now it runs pre-booked sessions as so many people are attending.

Mr Stevenson said: “We’ve changed massively since we started, but actually those two people who turned up for our first meeting are still here, five years on.”

The pair are 21-year-old Jack Kay, assistant manager of Insyt, and Ashley Walsh, aged 20, who works as head DJ.

Insyt, based at the YMCA in Deansgate, first received lottery funding three years ago, which enabled it to take on more staff and cover extra costs, as well as launch Project Inspire, which aimed to get 26 young people off the streets in 26 weeks.

Within the first month, they had already attracted 30 new members. Mr Stevenson started Insyt having witnessed, in his previous work as an MC, the amount of untapped potential in young people on the streets.

“I thought to myself that I would like to set up something like this where it is free to go and get on with things while staying off the streets,” he added.

The latest funding will be key to boosting Insyt’s fledgling work in fashion design and dance.

September 5 will mark Insyt’s fifth anniversary and a special production from members will be staged in Bolton with more details to be released soon.