Thatcham senior youth club to re-open

The town council has agreed to foot the bill after plea from teenagers, but asks for volunteers' help

THATCHAM's senior youth club will re-open thanks to financial backing from Thatcham Town Council.

Councillors agreed to help get the club going again, after a plea from the town's young people.

In July it was announced that the club for 14-year-olds and older held the Moorside Community Centre in Urquhart Road was to close, in order to save West Berkshire Council £1,200 per week.

Members of the finance and general purposes committee agreed on Monday to earmark funds in the current financial year to be able to get the club up and running as soon as possible.

Adults are also being asked to get involved to help keep it going once it has been set up. The club, which will be run by a management committee, will employ youth workers to run weekly sessions, and it is hoped that volunteers will come forward to support them.

Berkshire Association of Clubs for Young People has been working with the town council since September to discuss ways in which the club could be re-launched.

A representative from the association, Sarah Emery, said that volunteers were key to being able to keep the youth club open and that other youth clubs in the country had successfully opened due to people in the community helping out.

She said: “I think it is do-able if we get the help of the community.”

It was estimated that three people would be needed to run the club, due to the size of the community centre, but no decision has been made about how many would be paid members of staff and how many would be volunteers.

Anyone interested in helping out should telephone the town council's services manager, Mel Alexander, on (01635) 863592 or email mel.alexander@thatcham towncouncil.gov.uk