Youth club ready to reopen!

WESTBURY Youth Club is preparing to reopen again with the easing of the national lockdown.

The club will return on Wednesday 21st April at the Westbury Community Project‘s building – the former youth centre building on Eden Vale Road – which became its new home in September last year.

And the club has plans in place for new projects for its members, along with an end-of-term party and a new training course, to help young people manage their mental health.

About their plans and the work that took place behind the scenes during lockdown, leader of Westbury Youth Club, Beth Mullins, told White Horse News, “The youth club stopped running at the end of October 2020 due to the closure of our home at Westbury community project. 

“We ran from September through to October in line with Covid guidelines. This was different and took a lot of planning and adjusting, but something my team wanted to do as they all have a passion for young people and being able to give them somewhere safe and informal to go. 

“The club came back to Westbury in September when the community project opened, which is now where we call home after a year away, due to a lack of venue in the area. 

“We have 35 registered members and with all the Covid restrictions in place, we still saw an attendance of 15 young people each week. 

“During lockdown when we have been unable to run, a lot of work has been going on behind the scenes. We have secured funding from Wiltshire Community Foundation for two paid members of staff, which we have recruited, taking our team to a total of five. 

“We have worked alongside Barnado’s to have the plans in place to deliver a decider skills course, which is based on helping young people manage their mental health. We are currently working on confirming a date for this to go ahead to ensure the safety of all during Covid and allowing the course to be delivered face-to-face. 

“We have been working with Wiltshire Council on the prospect of delivering a summer and Christmas holiday activity programme to those most in need, where a lunch will be provided for those who are entitled to free school meals. This takes a lot of planning and currently is in the early stages. 

“Going forward into next year, 2022, we have signed up to take part in Westbury’s soap box derby and have plans in place to take that forward and create an entry from the club, which will be designed and made by our members. 

“We are starting back on Wednesday 21st April at our usual time, 6pm to 7.30pm. 

“We will be welcoming Karen and Ria to the team who come with experience that will be a huge asset to our team and who are keen to get going and get to know all our members. We will also be back with Fred and Lorna, our two dedicated volunteers and myself. 

“We have planned a mosaic project where our members will design and create the club’s emblem to be displayed. 

“We also have planned the end-of-term party, as well as the decider skills course working alongside Barnardo’s.  We have all the relevant Covid-19 risk assessments in place and are looking forward to being back. 

“We are open to anyone aged 11-19 or up to 25 with learning disabilities from Westbury or the surrounding villages.”