WESTBURY Youth Club has been forced to close temporarily due to a lack of volunteers.
The club opened in November last year at the Leigh Park Community Centre after a successful appeal for volunteers in the White Horse News.
In the last five weeks the club has said goodbye to five volunteers for different reasons including finding full-time employment and concentrating on studies. The club has been left with three volunteers, which is not enough to keep the club open.
Centre manager Debbie Cole said, “We need at least five to six volunteers to run the youth club effectively each week. So this does not happen again we are trying to build a pool of around eight to 10 volunteers that can work on a rota basis.”
Explaining why the youth centre is important to the community Debbie said, “The youth club is a safe place to meet and make new friends. Everyone is made to feel welcome. We listen to young adults’ ideas and try to implement these into the planned activities provided if possible.
“It is a place where the young adults can interact with each other along with the volunteers who are motivating and encouraging.”
The youth club is appealing for more volunteers. “We are hoping to re-open for September 2017 with the support of the local community through volunteers,” said Debbie.
Volunteers will assist in the running of the youth club that is open to young people aged 11 to 18 years. The club will be open on Wednesdays from 5.30pm until 8.30pm during term time only.
Volunteers will need to hold a DBS certificate and be trained in safeguarding, both of which can be supplied by the youth club.
If you think you can spare a few hours a week to help or if you would like more information please email leighparkcommunitycentre@hotmail.co.uk
