HAVING suffered in recent years from a shortage of funding and volunteers, the Frith Youth Centre (FYC) is enjoying a new lease on life now that the Chalford Parish Council (CPC) has taken over trusteeship.

Project Development Manager, Brendan Conboy said, “ There is so much that needs doing, but the highest priority is to reinstate the Senior Club for young people aged 14 and over. This group has had nothing provided for them for almost a year, and the combination of no provision, living in a rural area and poor local public transport, means that our young people of this age group are officially classified as being disadvantaged. The group is therefore a real priority for the CPC and the FYC.”

The FYC is a charity and was recently delighted to receive a small grant from the Gloucestershire High Sheriff Fund.

The grant will enable the immediate re-launch of the Senior Club and will ensure that the club stays open until at least the summer holidays.

Anyone aged 14 to 25 will be welcome on Thursdays from 7.00pm until 9.00pm.

Brendan said “we are hopeful that we will find more funding to not just continue this much needed service, but also expand it further."

The CPC is also proud to say that the FYC is now registered to provide ASDAN Short Course Awards.

This form of nationally recognised accreditation has been proven to help people move forward in life.

A pilot volunteering course is currently being rolled out and an increase in volunteer numbers should result in a higher quality of youth work for the young people attending the clubs.

The opportunity to achieve the award is available to anyone offering to volunteer at either the Junior Club on Mondays or the Senior Club on Thursdays.

For more information on volunteering contact Brendan on 07980 404873 or bmconboy@gmail.com