12 minute read
Deeping Youth Group
DYG celebrates 50 golden years!
After the new Deeping St James Primary School had opened in Hereward Way the old Cross School fell into disuse. In a bold move Kesteven County Council vowed to spend £2,500 on decorating and improving the school to provide the first Youth Centre for the area in a building which would also provide space for a pre-nursery school play group and a teachers’ centre. Details of the youth centre were slow to come to fruition but the Education Committee eventually decided to have a part-time paid youth leader to run the centre. The school buildings were owned by Deeping St James United Charities and negotiations took place between the two bodies to allow for the conversion.
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Sharon and Frank Wright, with their helper Jenny, were thought to be the first paid Youth Workers at the newly opened Youth Club. The Old Cross School shared a caretaker, Mr Askew, with the new Primary School. With little else to do locally the young people of the Deepings thronged to their new venue. Members included; Gary Webb, Steve Pickett, Barry Griffiths, Nigel Jones, Alan and Judith Avison, Ann Berry, Elaine Camm, Diane Barton, Louise Fisher, Valerie Orton, Terry Griffiths, Beverley Proctor, Nick Pocklington ,David Wilson, Glyn Flatters, John Robinson Paul Geeves, Tommy Stevenson, Julie Currie, ,Andy Currie, ,Kevin Leighton, Gail Laughton, Sheila Scofield, Susan Miller, Susan Lyon, Gail Chetleborough, Sonnie Elliot. Young people travelled from West Deeping, Langtoft, Baston, Bourne and Stamford. Adrian Fox remembers, ‘A lot of time was spent on the river in canoes, and there were trips to Nottingham Ice Rink and once month there was a disco. Memorably we had an old car, an Austin A35, and Mr Askew was going to show Terry Griffiths and I how to repair it. Before that could happen I started it up and filled it with girls driving round and round on the play area showing off! And promptly drove it straight through Mr Saunders’ wall which had caravans his side. You can still see where the stone wall was repaired!’
During the early 80s, when current Deeping St James United Charities Trustees Carol Precey and Peter Ward were volunteers, there was an additional Youth Club at Market Deeping and Langtoft and a full-time qualified Youth Worker oversaw all three clubs. There were also Clubs at Bourne and Spalding and regularly a mini bus was hired (Peter Ward at the wheel) for members to visit for sports and entertainment. Competitive indoor inter-club hockey games were popular. With the age range extending to
24, many of the young men in particular would ride their motor bikes, circling the Cross and annoying the neighbours. With health and safety still a thing of the future, activities included abseiling, sleepovers and rock climbing. Night hikes were a favourite, when young people were dropped off somewhere with a map and instructed to find their way back!
Some of the town’s current prominent business people were attendees at that time; the Ash family, the Foxes, Adrian Starsmore and Carole Lannigan being among the regulars.
The Club was closed for a short time in 1983 due to a Police incident unrelated to the Club but it soon resumed activities. Sara Page, Andrew Marsay, John Willis and Paul Hanson all worked at the Club during the 1990s and early 2000s.
In 2010 a group of girls banded together with volunteer helpers Becky Cooke and Sharon Pedder to compete in the Race for Life at Burghley Park. All wore matching pink T-shirts, paid the £10 entrance fee themselves and completed their own sponsorship forms, raising quite a bit of money for charity. For a couple of months at this time, Cheryl Baskeyfield held yoga classes at the Club, a sight for sore eyes with arms and legs going everywhere. Cooking supper was a nightly activity as was and is a game of pool. Regular football tournaments were held on the Astroturf funded by SKDC. With a band room, drums and a mixing studio, there was often a queue for young bands to use the music room. Band nights were held and on one occasion there was audience of 90. A roundtable discussion was held during one half term with Peterborough DJ Keith Dalton, and certainly the interest in music cultivated at the club ensured that there were a healthy number of bands to entertain at summer events. As long time member at this time Luke Exton recalls; ‘Youthie formed a solid part of my teen-hood. Put simply, I wouldn’t be the person I am today without all the experiences I was fortunate to have. DYG allowed me and a whole multitude of my friends to explore, practise and record music. Equipped with a full music room and studio and the ability to host gigs, DYG meant I was able to gig with various bands around Lincolnshire and Cambridgeshire. This completely changed my life, even moving me from a severe introvert to a surprisingly outspoken extrovert; a once in a lifetime experience!
‘I was able to hone my skills in Table Tennis (a skill I surprisingly still utilise at my work today) and even had the opportunity to play, get thrashed and ultimately learn from the Under 16’s UK Pool champion, Jackson Andrews, who was actually a member of DYG too! I still thrash all my mates in the pub.
‘I was also fortunate enough to engage many times with the local community, namely I was able to participate in the Deepings Raft Race! Building and racing down the River Welland, nothing will quite compare! Special thanks again to Headkase barbers for the sponsoring the raft!
‘Where am I now? Well, now I work at Capital One bank as a Senior Software Engineer. DYG gave me confidence and helped me continually to build my skills, which I then took into my university experience and really started to flourish.
‘Above anything else I made some great friends with a huge age variety. Some I even still talk to today, you just don’t get that from many places nowadays.
In 2011 with the onset of the years of austerity the plug was pulled from Youth Clubs nationally and DYG was no exception with LCC withdrawing their support. Paul Hanson, who was still a Youth Worker at the time, set up the Youth Group as a charity with a group of Trustees largely dependent on Deeping St James and Market Deeping Town Council for funding. Before the Towngate Inn closed the girls from DYG, having been coached by Kate Redhead from Priory Players, staged a fashion show, with clothes supplied by the Red Cross Shop. Keith Dalton compèred the event and raised £500 for the charity. Shortly after Peter Davis became the Youth Worker and later Kate Luke Exton second left, Luke Whitby right Jacobs took on the role. Matt Bessant and Tom Waterhouse made up the distributing care parcels at the outset of the pandemic. Members Corey Cuthbert team during these years. Along with and Katie Hawes both represented DYG at Oddfellows events and helped solidify the annual entry into the Raft Race a partnership which saw DYG become their charity of the year for two years and and litter picking, Halloween became receive substantial financial help from the Society. a high point in the calendar with pumpkin carving and young people Now Cass, Sonni and chair of the Trustees Jayne Reed host regular Zoom meetings, experiencing the chance to become a murder mysteries, scavenger hunts and bake-offs, all popular activities, and they ‘prisoner’ locked up in the Cross! work with the Library where they can. Author Georgia Twyntham will be joining the joint Zoom session on World Book Day on 4th March when Georgia will be Having worked with Kate, Cass Wales giving tips for the Deepings Literary Festival 500-word short story competition took over as the Youth Worker helped by Anil Sharma (Sonni). Working with ‘New Writers for Old Tales’. SKDC, young people from the club worked with street artist, Kaine Kulkzac to create images reflecting the wildflowers at the Deepings Lakes to cover up Without the professional staff support offered by Lincs County Council, as it was unsightly graffiti there. There have been sessions on internet safety with PCSO at the outset, and without assured funding the survival of DYG is not a given – but Rowena Everitt, rafts at the Raft Race, DYG’s own Award ceremony for sponsors, with the enthusiasm of the Workers and the determination of the Trustees , DYG and members have paid back to the community with their participation in Walk hopes to be able to offer the safe place to ‘chill with my mates’ that has been offered Happy, with litter picking, a market stall, making parcels for the homeless and now for over half a century!
Judy Stevens Trustee
As a Parish Councillor of 30+ years I consider the Library and the Youth Club available to all underpins the community here in the Deepings and I have and will defend both as a priority.
Paul Hanson Trustee
I am proud to have been involved with DYG for nearly half of its fifty years and I am commited to it being a part of the fabric of our society, young people need a safe place where they can develop into young adults.
Jayne Reed Chair of the Trustees
Up until 3 years ago I didn’t know much about Youth Group. Now I am there every week providing a safe environment where young people can have fun and just be themselves!
Si Fox Trustee
I’ve run a few music quiz nights to raise funds for DYG and occasionally stepped in to help Cass out on youth nights. It’s very rewarding to be part of something that gives so much for so little.
Xan Collins Trustee Christine Halls HR Trustee
I have been a Trustee of DYG for eight years now and as Mayor of Market Deeping DYG has been one of my charities and I have raised over £3000 for them. As a Councillor and volunteer at the Police Station I like to keep in touch with the community and the valuable work DYG does.
Helen Clarke Secretary to the Trustees Lisa Cuthbert Fund Raiser & Trustee
I’m self employed focusing on providing support to businesses with their HR and L&D needs. Born and raised in Deeping, I’m passionate about the development of the Youth Group for today’s generation and the next. I have been involved with the Scouting movement for seven years and as my son Corey has been at DYG I have got increasingy involved. My mantra is that kindness does not cost anything!
Anil Sharma (Sonni) Asst Youth Worker
With over 15 years experience working with under 18’s as a residential support worker, and having 3 daughters it has given me the skills I need to help encourage the young people who attend the DYG. It’s been a pleasure to work with each member!
Cass Wales Youth Worker
Having spent several years working with young people in care, I am a qualified youth mental health first aider and am about to qualify as a psychotherapist. I love working for the Deepings Youth Group providing support for our local young people and watching their friendships and confidence grow.
If you live in Deeping St James or Frognall,Deeping St James United Charities may be able to help. Our office is open if you think we can help, please telephone* , write, or e-mail (no visits at present). Are you, or do you know someone who is in financial need at present?Are you, or do you know someone who is in financial need at present? *Please leave a message if not answered personally and we will get back to you.
Anything that you say will be treated in confidence and we exist to help the parishioners of Deeping St James and Frognall so please, if you need help, contact us. Email: dsjunitedcharities@btconnect.com Tel: 01778 344707
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