A Hengoed youth club set up by local residents, Caerphilly County Borough Council and the Ystrad Mynach Neighbourhood Policing Team, is celebrating its first anniversary.
Local officers worked with Caerphilly County Borough Council’s Hub Team Youth Workers as well as the Cefn Hengoed and Hengoed Communities First Partnership to set up the youth club, which launched on 24th April 2009.
The youth club provides a variety of activities to keep local young people busy on Friday nights. The club boasts a pool table, television, Nintendo Wii and Playstation 3 as well as a computer. Young people also have access to board games, arts and crafts and table tennis.
Chair of the Communities First Partnership, Sandra Hardacre and local resident Donna Cushing, together with Caerphilly County Borough Council Youth Workers open the doors to the club in the local community centre each week.
Sandra said: “The young people are generally well behaved in the youth club, and over the last year they have got to know us, and will often say hello if they see us walking about in the community. I enjoy helping to run the club and providing them with somewhere to go and something to do on a Friday night.”
Over 80 people are on the books of the youth club, with between 40 and 45 showing up each week. They each have a membership card and have to adhere to a code of conduct.
One 12 year old at the club said: “I found out about the club through posters being pushed through our door. I have made new friends at the club over the last year and it gives us something to do.”
A few more volunteers have also started to help supervise the young people at the youth club over recent weeks.
Hengoed PCSO Jenna Price, said: “We sat down with the council and local residents a year ago to look at ways of providing young people with activities on Friday nights. The community volunteers have been fantastic in providing their time each week to run the youth club, and in helping to get funding from the Communities First Partnership to improve the facilities and activities on offer to the young people.”
The Hengoed Ward Officer PC Adam Lang, added: “The youth club is just one of the ways that we have been trying to prevent young people from hanging about the streets and potentially causing a disturbance to local residents. We also continue to run enforcement operations when appropriate, and during the latest in March we issued 13 anti-social behaviour referrals and confiscated alcohol from some underage drinkers. By combining enforcement with prevention, and working with community, we hope to improve the quality of life for residents.”
Cllr Phil Bevan, cabinet member for education and leisure said, “It is very pleasing that this facility is making such a positive difference to the lives of the Hengoed and Cefn Hengoed communities, and I hope the initiative goes from strength to strength over the coming years.
“By providing local youngsters with opportunities to fill their leisure time constructively on Friday evenings, this is also helping to tackle and prevent anti-social behaviour and youth disorder from occurring.
“May I also offer my thanks to the many local volunteers who so generously give up their time to help ensure the success of this fantastic project.”
Anti-social behaviour and underage drinking in Gelligaer Road, Hengoed Park and the Institute Fields are currently PACT priorities for the Hengoed ward.
If you are interested in volunteering at the youth club, or would like to speak to officers about a local issue, please contact the Ystrad Mynach Neighbourhood Policing Team (Hengoed officers, PC Adam Lang or PCSO Jenna Price) on 01443 865 595. Alternatively you can e-mail [email protected].
You can also pop along to one of the local police surgeries, where the ward officers will be on hand to speak to residents about any local issues. The next surgery will be held on Monday 26th April at the Hengoed Partnership Office from 5pm until 6pm. No appointment is necessary.
