Teenagers' fight for youth club base after being turned down by parish council

Tibshelf Parish Council is continuing to refuse permission for the teens to base their Illumin8 club at the pavilion on Shetland Road which has recently been refurbished at a cost of £38,000.

Freya Askwith-Martin, 13 of Tibshelf said: “We have asked the council loads of times but they keep saying no.

“We are not a rowdy group of kids we just want somewhere we can meet our friends do crafts and play games.

“It’s on a field so we can go outside when the weather is good enough.

“They keep saying there’s another problem every time we go.

Freya, a pupil at Tibshelf Community School and a member of the school council, added:

“We were planning a silent protest, but I don’t think we will yet. We might try it in the future.

“The pavilion is the only suitable place for our needs, we have enough funding.

“There was a youth club before in the village but this will be different, we would have membership forms and passes to sign in with.

“There are about 25 of us and the maximum at the pavilion is 30.

“At the moment it is just used as a football changing room.

“Please just let us have a youth club it would be really valuable to us.”

The pupils are being backed by Bolsover District Councillor Deborah Watson and a team of volunteers including a youth worker and former headteacher .

Coun Watson said: “They are good kids - it is not as if they are causing trouble and the club is needed for diversionary activities.

All they want is somewhere to chill out and take part in activities, and play games.”

She said the group has attended four meetings of Tibshelf Parish Council but to no avail.

Coun Watson added: “The pavilion would be ideal for them but the council is digging its heels in and refusing to let us use it.

“They have given several reasons like its just been renovated and they don’t want it to be damaged.

“They say the lighting is not safe, but it’s safe enough for other groups.

“They said we had to try and find other places .

“The Misson Scouts and guides hut would have been ideal but they don’t have a night free.

“A logical place would be the village hall which is used by different community groups and there are no spare times there either.

We could use a room in the school but they will not allow us to have food or drink and the kids don’t want to go back to school anyway

Coun Watson said he parish council were missing a trick by refusing the idea.

She added: “If they let it go ahead they would have access to what young people thought and wanted in the area.

“As well as club activities and games th e club would be about giving back to the community, things like helping the elderly and litter picks.

“All we are asking for is a three month trial period.”