Fight on to save Dudley youth centre from closure as young people use music to make their point

The Meadow Road Youth and Venture Centre in Dudley is threatened with closure under plans for savings in the latest council budget and a campaign is under way calling for a change of heart.

Young people at the Wren’s Nest centre have recorded a song to get their message across.

The track and a petition are part of the bid to reverse proposals to save £80,000 from council spending by cutting funding to the centre and removing the role of sessional youth worker.

Mandy Murphy’s son was a regular at Meadow Road three decades ago and she works in education with young people who currently use the centre.

She said: “This is the only safe place left for them to go, the youth workers are role models.”

News of possible closure has had a dramatic effect on the centre’s young people.

Mandy said: “The kids are devastated, I’ve got kids coming up to me saying ‘have you heard – what are we going to do?

“What can you say? I pray and hope the council thinks again.”

Mum Claire Mills added: “My son would be upset, this is his secure place where he feels safe, everybody comes together here, everybody supports each other.

Kelsey Hackett attended the centre as a child and says it changed her life.

She said: “I was naughty, I was in the wrong groups but once I came here I had help from youth workers to put me on the straight and narrow.

“Now I have my own business, it is nice to have that chance to change.”

While closure remains a possibility Dudley Council’s leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, revealed there may be a lifeline.

Cllr Harley said: “We are in quite detailed talks with Lawnswood Academy and Priory Boxing Gym to see if they want to take on the rest of the building, they have control of half the building.

“Lawnswood Academy does some excellent work with children and young people, if we didn’t have that facility they would fall through the net,

“Priory Boxing should be given the freedom of the borough,they do an outstanding job.

“We can make it an extension of what they already do – they can do a lot better than us.

“I believe it is a step up from what we are providing now, they have got a whole team of professionals that are trained and experienced in dealing with the most challenging behaviour.”

The centre is staffed by two youth workers and volunteers, it currently opens three times a week providing facilities including sport, music, IT and games as well as trips out for around 200 young people from the Wren’s Nest area.

Cllr Karl Denning is not convinced a change would be for the best, he said: “The youth workers are role models, I’m not saying the Priory can’t do some functions but youth workers are unique in what they do.

“This would be a massive loss and put extra strain on the police, we are taking money from one thing but will be spending a lot on something else.”

Another mother from the club, who asked not to be identified, said: “They say they are listening to children’s voices and it’s child first but the kids are saying we want to keep it – the youth workers and the parents – and nobody is listening.”