Toothill Youth Club

January 7th, 2008

The importance of early intervention and support from the wider community for some of our children was underlined for me when I visited the Toothill Youth Club on Friday of last week. I was the guest of the Club for the Official Opening, performed by Deputy Mayor and local ward member Cllr Steve Wakefield. We were also joined by a number of volunteers and parents, together with fellow ward member Cllr Mary Martin, Lead Member for Finance Cllr Nick Martin and the Leader of the Council, Cllr Rod Bluh.

Regular readers of my blog may recall a visit I made to the Youth Club, which is based at Toothill Farm Community Centre, a few months ago. I am delighted to see that Swindon Borough Council is working in partnership with this voluntary group, and trusting them to get on with the vital work of helping our youngsters, rather than presuming that it automatically knows better. Mavis Read and her team of volunteers are working tirelessly to help some of the most disadvantaged children in the area. It was a real pleasure to see them having the run of the old farmhouse and taking advantage of the variety of activities on offer. Their ethos is simple: to create a friendly and safe environment which offers real support to youngsters and their families.
There are some, however, who don’t wish to be a part of this community. The problem of criminal damage and anti-social behaviour from a small minority, as referred to in a previous entry, continues. It was good to see police officers at the Opening - the Club needs as much support as possible from the police if the criminals are to be beaten.

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Cllr Steve Wakefield cuts the ribbon, with Mavis and happy customers looking on!

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RB, Steve Wakefield and Cllr Mary Martin

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One Response to “Toothill Youth Club”

  1. Donna Liggins Says:
    January 17th, 2008 at 10:31 am

    Dear R. Buckland,

    I was wondering if you could assist me? I’m trying to track down some contact details for the Toothill Youth Club. I’d like to do an article on it in the ‘Housing Matters’ magazine I do for all of Swindon Borough’s tenants and leaseholders.

    I’m so glad to see a Youth Club up and running. I could do with knowing about more in other areas if there are any. In my home town it was the place to be back in the day, hopefully children and volunteers in the area will make it the same here.

    Best Regards,
    Donna Liggins
    Communications Officer
    Housing
    Swindon Borough Council

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