Volunteers bid to save youth club

VOLUNTEERS helping to revive a run down youth club in Warrington have met with councillors in a bid to extend its lease.
The new management committee is hoping Warrington Council will offer Lymm Youth Club a 10 year lease to allow it to apply for grants to fund more renovation work.
The future of the club hung in the balance last autumn and there was talk of demolition after the Club’s 40 year lease ran out in 2006.
A group of volunteers stepped up to help, led by Neville Davies, whose father built the Club in 1966 after asking local residents to donate £1 for each brick.
The new management committee has several longstanding residents of Lymm. Many have experience of involvement in successful local organisations and have been involved with activities in the building since it was built.
Over the last three months the team has worked tirelessly for free using donated funds to build a brand new kitchen, coffee bar and new ladies and disabled toilets.
The committee hopes to take over management of the building and ensure the provision of a Youth and Community facility in Lymm which is self-sufficient.
Now they hope to secure a lease longer than one year- ideally 10 years – to enable them to apply for grants which they hope will transform the building into a resource which benefits the most number of people in the community.
The building is still mainly used to provide lunches and toilets for people on Market Day but activity but usage is starting to pick up. It played host to two visiting Manchester Youth Groups recently.
The team has further ambitions to develop facilities to support local social enterprise groups, the neighbourhood and the local police as well as young people.
Steve Griffiths, a member of the Youth Club’s management committee, said: “We had a meeting with the Lymm Borough Councillors and they were very enthused about our plans so we’re feeling very positive about the building’s future.
“We don’t want to lose the fun stuff, like table tennis and Sunday teas but we would like to develop the club so that it offers something for everyone in the community.
“In particular we’re interested in offering facilities for social enterprise groups. We’ve also spoken to the police and neighbourhood groups about how they could benefit from using the building.”
“It’s in the Councils hands now but we’re really hopeful. We feel like the story of Lymm Youth Club is only just beginning.”