A new youth club has opened in Ipswich to allow vulnerable children to come together.
Triangle Church on Dickens Road in Chantry, Ipswich, is the home of a new youth club offering a safe space for children to chat with one another and enjoy the activities.
The opening night of the youth club on April 7, was attended by more than 50 children and was attended by Ipswich MP Tom Hunt, the Mayor of Ipswich Elizabeth Hughes, and Ipswich Town forward Macauley Bonne.
Lisa Clarke, who was behind the idea, said she wanted to start a youth club three years ago, but due to the pandemic, plans were put on hold.
She said: “I’m completely buzzing. My hopes are that we can engage young people and bring kids together, specifically in Chantry.
"It is a safe space for young people to go, too, and gives them something to do."
Access Community Trust, based in Lowestoft, will help run the project every Thursday evening. Jane Goodchild will be leading the youth club with a group of volunteers. She said: "We feel really privileged to be here.
"We are really excited and grateful to Lisa and everybody involved in it. I think we are going to have a great team."
The youth club hopes to, in the future, be able to offer trips out to the beach or cinema, as well as gain more volunteers from the local community who can help run the youth club for months to come.
The youth club has largely been funded by Ipswich Borough Council, with David Ellesmere, council leader, supporting the project.
Elizabeth Hughes, the Mayor of Ipswich said: “We are here because of Ipswich Borough Council and the parents here.
“It’s an initiative that has come from local people, the mums and dads were saying they wanted something for their children to do here and the young adults.
“They just wanted them in a safe space with some adults around, where there wasn’t going to be any trouble or intimidation.”
Reverend of Trinity Church, Lawrence Carey said: “The youth have been underrepresented here and it was a case of how can we all work together, the church, the community and the partners as well and it finally came together and it really is a credit to Lisa and her doggedness to make this happen.”
Ipswich MP Tom Hunt said: “I don’t think there has been enough for people to do here.
“I think it's really positive that this has happened and it has happened thanks to the borough council, Access and key members from the community.
“We need to have positive things for young people to do. I am pleased this has happened, and I am pleased to be here and see that it is being so well attended.”
Town striker Macauley Bonne signed autographs and had pictures taken with the children.
Coming from Chantry himself, he said: “I never had this sort of thing when I was growing up around here, it was more chilling in parks and getting into trouble but here, they can come and chill out with their friends and stay out of trouble.
“In this area there is nothing. You’ve got a few parks and that’s about it. But you need something different to entice children to come here and stay away from stuff on the streets. It is massive for the community.”
On offer on the opening night was snooker, table tennis, arts and crafts, games, PS5 and a BBQ, cooked by Patrick Rankin owner of Coconut and Lime, Caribbean Street Food, who has been the regular caterer for a lot of Access events.
He said: “It is something for the kids and I love helping and giving back to the community.
"When I was young, we had youth clubs but everything has changed now, kids get home from school and go straight to their rooms and go on their phones so it is nice to see kids going back out like how it used to be."
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