‘Centre is not against youth’

Sep 11 2008 by Judith Phillips, North Wales Weekly News

A COMMUNITY centre has hit back at suggestions it is anti-youth because it doesn’t have a youth club.

Craig-y-Don Community Centre was criticised at a Llandudno Town Council meeting last week for not allowing Conwy County Council’s youth service to hold sessions there.

But the centre’s management committee deny they have a policy of excluding young people.

“It is worrying this sort of talk is going on. We are not against youth activities. As a committee we are here to provide facilities for the community to hire but we don’t organise anything ourselves.

“We try to get a diverse mix using the rooms. We have art groups which have young members, a karate club, and Llandudno Youth Music Theatre meeting there. We have been approached about a youth club, but we’re not in a position to organise one ourselves, we told the people who made the enquiry that there was no room available and that is absolutely true.

“There is a waiting list of organisations wanting to hire the facilities and anyone wanting to organise a youth club would go on that and when a room became available they would be contacted. That is the way we operate,” said committee member and county councillor for Craig-y-Don, Christine Jones.

She said the centre receives minimal grant aid and has to be self sufficient.

But Brian Bertola, chairman of the town council’s community services committee, said he was horrified to discover at a recent Conwy Youth Forum meeting that there was no youth club in Craig-y-Don.

“It can’t be called a community centre if the youth service is not allowed to use it. It is totally unjust. The town council is giving an annual grant of £2,000 a year to the centre and I think we should seriously consider withdrawing that if they don’t do more for young people,” he said.

And Craig-y-Don councillor Gareth Roberts said he was also concerned.

“There is a widespread feeling in the community that it is run as a private social club for older people and that the committee isn’t prepared to go that extra mile to find space in the timetable for a youth club,” he commented.

And former councillor Malcolm Bullock said he tried last year to hire a room to run a youth club but had been turned down because he was told there wasn’t one available.

He said: “I’m chairman of the youth centre in Penrhyn Bay and there is a thriving youth club there, if we can do it I’m sure Craig-y-Don can.”