THE MAN who has run Wantage's beloved Sweatbox youth club for three decades has announced he is stepping down.

Garry Kingett, who joined the club in 1983, has said he is going to take early retirement at the end of November.

Over 33 years Mr Kingett, who was born and raised in Wantage, has steered the Sweatbox through tough times and won plaudits from generations of town leaders and club members for his definitive approach: letting children decide how to run their own club.

But he says "instinct" has told him the time is right to move on and pursue his other passions: travelling the world, building guitars and playing rock and roll.

The 58-year-old, who lives with wife Bobby in nearby Charlton Road, insisted his decision has nothing to do with the fact that the future of the Sweatbox is currently in limbo.

King Alfred's Academy East Site, where the youth club has always been located, is due to be demolished in the next few years to make way for a housing estate.

The school, which has funded the club since Oxfordshire County Council pulled its funding in 2011, has already promised it will be replaced in some form, although no definite plans have yet been revealed.

But Mr Kingett said he had complete faith that the Vale Academy Trust which runs the school, and its chief executive Simon Spiers, would be good to their word.

He told the Herald: "It really is just instinct – a gut feeling: I think it is time to pass on the hat and move on.

"I want to thank Simon Spiers because he has championed the Sweatbox on a number of occasions and saved it when it was threatened with closure

"I have got every confidence in Simon's commitment – he has promised he is committed to making sure there is a replacement youth club.

"There is a huge need for a youth centre in Wantage and I think we could learn from what we have created here."

Mr Kingett, who is currently playing in two bands, said he had stood by his credo of letting children and teenagers run their own youth club since he first set foot in what was once called Wantage Youth Club as a young construction worker.

He recalled: "Back then it was all ping pong and Panda Pops: it was so old-fashioned and traditional, and there was not much evidence of kids actually running it.

"I have always believed young people are the experts on young people."

He also said that he would be more than happy to help King Alfred's plan a new youth club.

Emily-Mai Moor, 16, a member of the Sweatbox Union managing committee, said Mr Kingett's "amazing" sense of humour had held the club together.

She added: "When he told us he was leaving I cried – we all kicked off."

Fellow union member Frances Ward, 17, added: "I've always really enjoyed coming here and Garry makes it really fun."

Mr Spiers said Mr Kingett had had a "hugely positive impact" on generations of youngsters.

He went on: "It has been a pleasure working with him over the last 15 years – there is no doubt that The Sweatbox would not exist without his unstinting dedication.

"We will ensure his great work – and the facilities that Sweatbox provides – will continue into the future."