Youth and Community use
With a strong focus on the Arts, Culture and Education
Key: Y = Youth Participation | D = Daytime | E = Evening | W = Weekend | C = Community
Ideas that have been suggested by local people over the past few weeks through our research include:
- Priority: Youth activities in line with Young People’s Centres Y E W
- 1940s Tea Room D E W C
- Community allotment (or wartime kitchen garden) Y D W E C
- Memory café (Dementia) D C
- Old Colliers Choir D E C
- Knit and sew D C
- Creative Writing Group D E Y C
- Poetry Group D E Y C
- Art ‘n’ pottery Club D E Y C
- Mother and baby Group Y D C
- Walking Club Y W C
- Weekly talks Y E D C
- Films Y D E W C
- Room Hire for meetings Y D E W C
- Folk Club Y E W C
- Local school visits (history lessons perhaps) Y D
- Wildlife Group Y E C
- Drama classes/ Drama Group Y D E W C
- Language classes Y D E W C
- Fundraising activities Y D E W C
- Annual Events (attracting visitors from near and far) such as ‘Tolkien Day’ in September and the Anniversary of the line opening in August ‘Gala Day’ Y D E W C
- Miniature Railway for children (offering rides at weekends along track) Y W C
- Railway modelling Group Y E C
- RSPB or Wildlife Trust meetings in rooms? Y E C
- Railway History Group D E C
- Mining History Group D E C
- Health and Wellbeing initiatives D E W C
- Use by local Scouts/Cubs/Brownies/Guides Y E W
The Legacy
We envisage that the old station would be used as a meeting place and facility for young and old alike. We would like it to embrace the whole Community.
We see the prospect of the youth of the area working in unison with others as the way forward. With this in mind we would still like to see the facility operating as a ‘Young Peoples Centre,’ therefore maintaining its legacy towards youth. This can easily be achieved through ‘time sharing’.
Young People’s Centres already operate in nearby Calverton and Redhill. Blocking in ‘Free Prime Time’ for youth activities in the evenings would simply mirror what is already happening elsewhere in the county. We would like the Old Station Community Hub to embrace art, culture and education.
We would aim to apply for funding from all available sources including the Arts Council. We would like to involve young people in the whole process and would encourage them to become helpers and volunteers outside of YPC hours. This would give them pride in the project and a sense of belonging which they could carry through to adulthood when hopefully they will still maintain an interest in the Community Hub through its adult activities – indeed it is hoped that will, in time, bring their own children to the Old Station Community Hub and Young Peoples Centre.
This is the legacy.