Ash Aspect: ‘Help Us Launch New Youth Centre’ – Message to Ash Residents

Published on: 27 Jan, 2023
Updated on: 29 Jan, 2023

By David Reading

Plans to reopen Ash Youth Centre will be taking shape on Monday evening (January 30) at a public meeting to which the whole community is being invited.

Guildford Borough Council is working in partnership with Surrey County Council, and with residents and local councillors, to bring the plans to fruition.

Before the Covid 19 pandemic, the youth centre was open one evening a week but closed because of lockdown.

Sessions had been run mainly by a group of local volunteers in association with Surrey Clubs for Young People (SCYP). But getting it up and running again proved difficult.

The youth centre in Ash Hill Road – which closed during lockdown

In a message to the people of Ash this week, GBC’s Community Wellbeing team said: “If you’re like us and care about young people thriving in our communities, join us on Monday evening. We are looking for anyone with an interest in the local community to come and chat to us about how they might be able to help.”

People will be invited to:

Have their say on launching an open-access youth club at the youth centre
Help put together a management committee that will make decisions about the youth club
Shape the management committee’s constitution
Volunteer for various roles

Cllr Julia McShane

Cllr Julia McShane, leader of the council and lead councillor for Housing and Community, said: “Young people are the future of our communities. That’s why we are driving forward with our plans to open the Ash Youth Centre and we need people’s help to do it.

“We want to make sure young people are included in our community by giving them access to exciting and challenging opportunities that will help them grow into active and confident young adults.

“You don’t have to have experience working with young people to get involved. We know our residents care and are our best assets to help us create a strong group of people who can make opening the youth club a reality.

“This is an exciting opportunity to bring the community together to be a part of positive change to young people’s lives.”

Ash Vale resident Alex Bliss said: “The young people of Ash and Ash Vale need the help of local residents to support the use of the wonderful Ash Youth Centre in the evenings. We need volunteers for the setting up of a management committee and to help at the youth club sessions. We know there is a need for this, so it would be wonderful for the local community of Ash parish to pull together.”

Cllr Carla Morson

Cllr Carla Morson, who is a parish and county councillor, said: “We have long thought the youth centre needed reopening and it’s for this reason that we’re initially trying to set up a non-profit making organisation to open the youth centre and arrange a series of activities for all ages.

“Our first task is to get a management team set up and then we’ll go from there as quickly as we can.”

Monday’s meeting will be held at 7pm at the Ash Centre at the bottom of Ash Hill Road.