Tenants and residents show support for proposed youth club at community fun day

Tenants and residents gathered together in Outwood Community Centre this week for a day of free family fun and involvement and to register their support for a proposed youth club.

The event, organised by Six Town Housing, Outwood Tenants and Residents Association (TRA) and other community organisations, had plenty going on with ‘Make & Take’ winter flowerpots, face painting, refreshments and family activities with arts and crafts.

Local police and the fire service attended to provide help and advice and the opportunity for tenants to discuss local matters. Six Town Housing and Outwood TRA were also on hand to chat to tenants and residents about local priorities.

One really important matter that people could feedback on was their support and ideas around a proposed youth club. Six Town Housing are currently recruiting volunteers and support is needed in order to get a club up and running. The youth club has become the main focus of the TRA recently, after a neighbourhood survey showed that there was a real need for youth facilities in the area. There is currently no youth provision which has led to young people hanging about on the street with little to do. However, there was once a successful and well attended youth club and there are now requests to re-establish the club;

Andrea Thorpe, a local tenant who attended the event, said: “Events like this are a great way to get involved. I’m always interested in how to improve the area and this gives us the opportunity to feedback information and find out how we can help – it also provides fun for the kids at the same time! The youth club is a fantastic idea, I used to go to the old one in my teens and it gave us something to do that was safe and fun instead of sitting around on the streets. I hope it gets the local support needed and the volunteers!”

The event gave young people the chance to register their interest in a club, suggest a possible name for a club and potentially recruit more volunteers for the project.

Debbie Standring, Six Town Housing community development worker for Radcliffe, said: “We really need local support to get the club up and running and are still looking for volunteers so we can get things started. Days like today are really fun for the whole family, provide lots of advice and support but also give the tenants a chance to get involved and have their say on what happens in their local area.”

If you are interested in supporting the youth club or want to find out more about getting involved in what happens in your community, call Debbie on 0161 686 8000

ENDS

Issued: 13 February 2013.

Picture: At the community fun day are Debbie Standring from Six Town Housing, with local mum Andrea Thorpe and her family.