Havering (Parliament Politics Magazine) – Members of Harold Hill’s Friday Night Youth Club are fighting to reopen the facility after Havering Council’s sudden closure, citing community needs and benefits.
Havering Council briefly banned Friday Night Youth Club, which is located in the MyPlace community center on Dagnam Park Drive, in November 2024. Since then, the club has been unable to return.
Russell Mears, one of the club’s organizers, explained that the closure was due to two distinct occurrences outside MyPlace involving alcohol and a firework that was set off in a dumpster.
However, Russell asserted that as part of an agreement reached in April 2024, the council also promised the club a paid youth worker, something that hasn’t happened.
“[The incidents] were outside the youth club and with people we weren’t supervising, but Havering [Council] said because of these incidents we are going to have to suspend you,”
Russell said.
We reminded them that they had promised us someone to help us.”
The youth club has been managed by Russell, a pharmaceutical company director, and his wife Claire, a learning support assistant at a secondary school, in their spare time for the past four years.
Through their network, the pair claims to have arranged “over £30,000 of activities” for Harold Hill’s children and provided “over 1,000 hours of youth work” on a volunteer basis.
This includes residential trips in Wales, sailing and caving activities, and leadership classes.
Russell said:
“Our members were really keen that we started up again, because there’s nothing else going on for them in that area.
One of the kids who we took to Wales said it was their first time outside of Harold Hill.
They really enjoy going [to youth club] – it is a safe place to hang.”
In a YouTube video last month, the teenage members—who range in age from 11 to 18—asked the public to “help us save” the club and described what it meant to them.
One member said in the video:
“Friday Night Youth Club is really special to me because I can talk about my feelings to everyone there and can socialise with my friends every Friday.
I’ve missed the club so much since it’s been gone, so hopefully we can get it reopened soon.”
Russell claimed that the kids created the film “off their own back” and that he was “in tears” upon viewing it.
Russell and Claire say they were “consistently stonewalled” when they pressed for a schedule, and they have yet to get a target reopening date for the club, even after a recent meeting with Havering Council.
“This uncertainty leaves our members without a dedicated space on Friday nights,”
Russell told this paper.
As far as we know, many are now spending time on the streets of Harold Hill, an unsafe environment for them, whilst MyPlace on a Friday night is empty.”
Julia Lopez, the MP for Hornchurch and Upminster, has also been in discussions with Friday Night Youth Club on its suspension.
She claimed that after hearing from the club’s youthful patrons about “their bitter disappointment” with the closure, she informed the council’s top officials.
Ms Lopez added:
“The current situation is incredibly disappointing.
I will continue to engage with both Russell and the council in the hope that we can find a solution to the council’s concerns so that the Friday Night Youth Club members may have their club back.”
These concerns from the council are that the club “complies with safeguarding requirements”.
A Havering Council spokesperson said:
“The local authority has met with the youth club organisers to discuss a safe and efficient reopening plan, and we are hopeful that an opening date can be agreed upon in the coming weeks.
While we understand that the young people who attend the session are disappointed by the temporary closure, we are doing everything we can to reopen it while ensuring safety for all.”
He added that once the safeguarding policies and risk assessments are in place, including having a third member of staff to ensure a safe ratio of adults to young people, they can look to reopen the club.
What are the key highlights in the suspension of Friday night youth club in Harold Hill?
Restrictions on the number of attendance reportedly made the incidents outside the club worse, which led to the suspension. The necessity of improved management and safety protocols was brought to light by these accidents.
The Havering Council had previously promised to funding a youth worker, but the club has been functioning without one. Effective club management has proven difficult for volunteers due to a lack of professional assistance.
Many young people who depend on the club as a safe place have been impacted by the shutdown. The group has received recognition for its beneficial effects, providing young people with assistance and activities that foster their social and emotional growth.
The Havering Council is trying to find a solution and has recognized the club’s significance. Before the club can reopen, the council must make sure it conforms with safeguarding regulations.