Year-old Didcot Under-13 Youth Club to be closed unless numbers improve (From Herald Series)

Year-old Didcot Under-13 Youth Club to be closed unless numbers improve

8:30am Thursday 4th February 2010

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A YOUTH club launched a year ago to meet parents’ demands faces closure — because of dwindling numbers.

Didcot’s Under-13 Youth Club opened in January last year, after parents complained there was nowhere for ten to 12-year-olds to go after school following the closure of The Buddy Club, which had run in the town for 20 years.

The calls for a new venture were answered by town councillor Leslie Hood, who raised £12,000 from local councils to launch the new club.

For the first six months, it attracted between 60 and 90 children to The Vibe Youth Centre each Wednesday at 4pm, for 90 minutes of sports, arts and crafts activities, and special events.

But since the summer holidays, only a handful of children have been going to the 50p sessions.

Just seven youngsters were at a recent session.

Mrs Hood said: “We had lots of children until July and they were all perfectly happy.

“When they went up to senior school in September, we did not have a new lot of younger children coming in.

“We have tried to advertise the club around schools and bring in more younger children, but without success.”

She added: “It was really hard work to set it up.

“Parents were complaining that by the time children reached 13 and werecovered by the youth service, they were already getting into trouble.

“When we finally got it up and running, it was proving really popular.”

Mrs Hood secured £12,000 from the county, district and town councils to launch the club, hiring five staff each week to run activities for the children.

The club ran football, table-tennis, pool, games and a tuck bar, as well putting on a special circus workshop last year.

Now she has warned it faces permanent closure at the end of the school year unless more children attend.

She said: “I cannot go out for more funding for the premises with six children a week.

“When the money runs out, that will be it.

“If the club is not supported, it will close. It would be devastating, because it was a lot of work to set up.”

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