A large crowd gathered at Marlborough youth centre today (Wednesday) to demand the return of services and facilities for young people.
The centre, at St Margaret’s Mead, was effectively mothballed in August, when Wiltshire Council’s cuts to youth services came into force, although adult learners still use the facility.
Throughout the summer there have been no youth workers at the centre, and residents say they have seen evidence of an increase in drink- and drug-related nuisance and petty crime as a direct result.
Now an army of volunteers led by Lisa Farrell, Justin Cook and Alec Light is being formed. All three are Marlborough town councillors, but are acting as private individuals.
“The young people of this town have been forgotten,” said Mrs Farrell, who was involved in establishing Marlborough Youth Council.
“We do have a drug problem and we do have a drink problem. We need this youth centre reopened.
“We’re asking for volunteers to help us open Marlborough Youth Centre, initially for two nights a week. We also need funding, because we’ll have to hire the facilities.”
The next meeting of Marlborough Area Board, on November 25, will be devoted to youth services. Marlborough’s youth development co-ordinator, Jan Bowra, will be outlining how the centre will operate on a volunteer basis, and volunteers will be asking the area board for funds to cover training, CRB checks and room hire.
Wiltshire Council has put aside £300,000 to ‘ease the transition’ of youth services moving into the voluntary sector. However, that money covers the whole county.
Before that, though, the campaigners will be taking their case to Marlborough Town Council on Monday night (November 3).
“We’re going to be asking for their blessing and their support,” said Mr Cook.
“We have been looking at Aldbourne Youth Council and the Community Junction Centre as a template, and they’ve offered to share their expertise with us.”
The volunteers are keen that young people set the agenda for services at the centre, and the Youth Council has designed a leaflet and questionnaire which will be distributed through St Mary’s and St Peter’s primary schools, and St John’s School.
Marlborough Youth Centre was opened in 1970 by Wiltshire Council on land donated by Marlborough Town Council. The thriving centre was home to holiday clubs, Saturday clubs, the Sunshine Club, and Brownies, and was available to hire for birthday parties and wedding receptions.
The facility was built with changing rooms for the football pitch on the adjacent Marlborough Recreation Ground. But now young players from Marlborough Youth Football Club have to get changed behind the building – they are not allowed to use the purpose-built facilities.
