Saturday night is the perfect time to find FAME in North Lanarkshire as hundreds of young people have been finding out through an innovative youth project that has seen a 34 per cent reduction in crime.

Almost 1,000 young people aged 10 years and over have been regularly taking part in the project – Saturday FAME (Fitness Arts Music Entertainment) Academy – which provides them with a host of fun, free and interactive activities at Airdrie Leisure Centre, Shotts Leisure Centre and the Tryst Sports Centre in Cumbernauld.

Delivered as a partnership project between North Lanarkshire Council, North Lanarkshire Leisure Ltd, Strathclyde Police and Strathclyde Fire & Rescue, Saturday FAME Academy started off as a pilot project in the Shotts area, where there was an estimated reduction of around 34 per cent in the number of antisocial behaviour complaints to police over the course of the pilot project.

As a result, the scheme has been extended to both Airdrie and Cumbernauld.

Funded through the North Lanarkshire Community Safety Partnership's Local Action Fund, Saturday FAME Academy delivers a targeted programme of free activities for young people aged 10 years and over between 6pm and 10pm on Saturday nights.

Sessions provided – which are taken by fully qualified coaches and tutors provided by Hitsport – include swimming, dance, football, basketball, badminton, gym sessions, sumo wrestling, mobile skate park, climbing wall as well as health checks and access to IT equipment. The programme has recently been extended to include other community activities such as music and drama, increasing the choices on offer to the young people.

Councillor Jim Logue, Convener of North Lanarkshire Council's Community Services Committee and Chair of North Lanarkshire Leisure Ltd, said: "The response to the introduction of this scheme has been absolutely phenomenal, with more than 500 young people registering for the project in Cumbernauld alone and actively coming along and taking part.

"It's all too easy for people to envision the stereotypical image of young people hanging around street corners because there's nowhere to go and nothing to do – and that image has been well and truly shattered in North Lanarkshire thanks to Saturday FAME Academy. The drop in complaints to the police in Shotts is a prime example of this.

"And the great thing is that this programme doesn't just provide something to do on a Saturday night – it opens up a whole host of activities and possibilities that these young people may never have thought about before.

"It is also a terrific example of the partnership working between North Lanarkshire Leisure, North Lanarkshire Council and their partners that goes on on a daily basis across the North Lanarkshire area. I am proud to be associated with this fantastic project and long may it continue."

Mary Castles, Chair of North Lanarkshire's Community Safety Partnership, added: "Saturday FAME Academy gives young people the opportunity to get involved in their local community and make use of the facilities on offer in a way that promotes health, fitness, community involvement and personal responsibility. It decriminalises the behaviour of young people and engages them into the local community by introducing them to free sport and leisure activities."

Councillor Jim Logue concluded: "The programme has exceeded all expectations with around 1,000 young people off the streets on Saturday nights participating in a range of healthy activities in safe and supervised surroundings. I'm sure the programme will expand and continue to be a great success."