Bourne Youth Centre

The new youth centre pictured shortly after the official opening in 2005

The founding of the Standing Conference of National Voluntary Youth Organisations in 1936 was a landmark in the strengthening of the voluntary principle of youth work in Britain.

The programme was interrupted by the Second World War of 1939-45 but in the years that followed, its influence on local authorities played a major role in the setting up of youth clubs across the country. The training of youth leaders, often at universities and university colleges, was seen to be of paramount importance and the number of young people who flocked to join the new clubs was evidence of the need that existed for a formal and organised way of spending their leisure time.

The impetus of establishing a new Britain with benefits for all which followed the end of the war in 1945 resulted in the formation of the Bourne Victory Youth Club which met at the Victoria Hall in Spalding Road [demolished in April 1967] but surprisingly it foundered after a few years through lack of support. There was a resurgence of interest, mainly from the local political organisations, and both the Conservative and Labour parties started youth clubs with the object of attracting young people, but youngsters wanting something to do rather than a political ideology often joined both to take advantage of the leisure facilities they offered. Yet another attempt was made in 1961 with the opening of the Under 21 Club and although it initially attracted 60 members, interest flagged and that too closed down within a year.

Poor organisation and a lack of support from outside bodies were blamed for these closures but the need for a youth club in the town remained and the following year, Bourne Urban District Council, under the chairmanship of Councillor Dr John Galletly, decided that a new club should be launched with the official support of both the urban and county authorities.

A public meeting was therefore called at the Vestry Hall on Thursday 1st February 1962 to discuss the project and the large attendance was evidence of the support it would receive. Dr Galletly, who took the chair, told the meeting: “We feel there is a tremendous scope for a youth club in Bourne which will attract those young people who are not willing to join uniformed or sectarian clubs that are already doing fine work. “

Guest of honour at the meeting was Mr P M Cutler, area leader for the Kesteven Youth Service, and his enthusiasm for the project was infectious. He defined a youth club as “a place of friendship” and suggested that the programme of activities should be a challenging one and arranged by the members themselves. He went on: “Young people would not be going there to turn it into a cheap dance hall.”

Also at the meeting was Miss J M Clark, youth service officer for Kesteven Education Committee, who said it had been estimated that Bourne had a potential membership of 100 for a youth club but stressed the importance of adult interest in its formation and administration. “It would be independent and autonomous and while, like any other youth club, it could make application for a financial grant, it would have to make out as good a case as any other club to get one”, she said.

The meeting was so enthusiastic for a youth club that it recommended the formation of an adult management and advisory committee and that Mr Cutler should be the leader in the initial stages, pending a more permanent arrangement. It was envisaged that the club would eventually form a members’ committee to run its day-to-day affairs with the management committee operating in the background with advice and making the contacts necessary for its efficient running and it would be known as the Bourne Hereward Youth Club. But despite the obvious support, it was to be another three meetings in three years before the scheme came to fruition and the final plans were not laid until Friday 12th February 1965 when supporters again gathered to discuss the idea on the initiative of the Kesteven county youth service which was represented by Miss Cynthia Hursey, youth leader for the Bourne area.

Miss Hursey was anxious to dispel the wrong impression that many people had about a youth club and she told the meeting that it was not an extension of the evening institute, nor should it be assumed that it was a cheap dance hall. "It is a place where those coming to terms with life can become aware of themselves as members of society and where they can be encouraged to take their part in the other activities of the town", she said. "It would not be isolated from the town but would form an integral part of the community."

The chairman, Councillor H G Astley, stressed the need for an open youth club to be established in Bourne after several previous attempts had failed. There were, he said, many examples of people from the town who could not have made their names in different spheres without the help and guidance that a youth club could give, including Philip Romaine, the athlete with international and possibly Olympic possibilities who had to go to Spalding to obtain the facilities he needed, and Peter Grummitt, the Nottingham Forest goalkeeper who had no local assistance whatsoever apart from that given to him by Bourne Town Football Club. He added: "There might be youngsters of talent waiting to be discovered and a youth club could be an important medium in guiding and helping that talent to fruition apart from influencing for good the lives of many youngsters just venturing out into life."

Even then, there was opposition from Councillor E J Grieves, representing the Chamber of Trade, who said that his members were opposed to spending public money in this way. He suggested that Bourne with a population of 5,000 had far more amenities than any other town of its size, mainly through the activities of the Charity Trustees, and the spending of £20,000 on a new club with a proposed attendance of 120 members per night was a figure impossible to maintain. "We feel that the effort would fall by the wayside after being a great success for the first three months", he said.

Figures presented to the meeting by Mr D A Spink, the county youth service officer, showed that there were 586 people in Bourne aged from 14 to 20 and of these, only 80 were members of existing youth groups and assuming that only one in three of the remainder used the new club there was a potential membership of 200. A total of 23 volunteers who attended the meeting offered their services if a new youth club were formed. "This is the largest meeting of any so far called to form such a club", said Councillor Grieves. "If this evident enthusiasm is maintained, we will have a club second to none in the county."

As a result of the meeting, Kesteven County Council recognised the need for an organised youth service and began recruiting officers to run them on a part-time basis, the first being Graham Luesby, then aged 30, who was selected for a two-year training course. This consisted of a series of weekend and evening sessions on management, leisure and sporting activities and administration, and he became the first qualified youth leader in Bourne.

The acquisition of suitable premises was a major problem but arrangements were made for the use of the Church Hall in Church Walk where the club finally opened in November 1965 with Graham Luesby as leader. Meetings for young people aged between 14 and 20 were held every Tuesday evening and there were soon 56 members on the roll and an average attendance of 40 members at each session. Activities included games, talks, a car maintenance class and judo but outdoor pursuits such as camping, canoeing and rock climbing weekends were organised in conjunction with the Kesteven Youth Service together with weekend get-togethers with young people from other parts of the county at Brant Broughton House near Sleaford.

Mr Luesby was succeeded by Derek Glover and by 1972, the club was flourishing and he presented a most favourable report to the annual meeting. "We are continuing to make good headway and last year was our best ever," he said, "particularly in the field of sport." Among the successes, they had won the county rounders tournament and were currently selecting 16 players for the county badminton team.

The club later moved to the Congregational [now the United Reformed] Church hall in Eastgate and in 1977 it was granted a lease of the Vestry Hall in North Street, then owned by Bourne United Charities, although it was in a dilapidated condition. The average nightly attendance at this time was 40 but members faced an uphill financial struggle to bring the premises up to standard in order that public events could be held there and fund raising immediately began for the money needed to upgrade the fire precautions, toilet facilities and improvements to the building itself although the £20,000 required appeared to be an impossible sum, despite generous donations and the prospect of local authority grant aid. This was achieved largely through the efforts of the Mayor of Bourne, Councillor Ron Alexander, who persuaded Lincolnshire County Council to help fund the extensions which enabled the club to add a kitchen, an outside area to sit and toilets, so ending the practice of members using those in the bus station across the road.

The improvements enabled the club remain at the Vestry Hall until 1986 when it was offered a row of old prefabricated huts in the grounds of the Robert Manning Secondary School (now the Robert Manning College) where it remained for the next eighteen years, changing its name to Bourne Youth Centre. The huts had been erected as temporary classrooms in 1946 after class sizes at local schools increased due to a raising of the school leaving age and were known as a HORSA building - Huts Occasioned by the Raising of the School Leaving Age. They were later replaced by a new teaching block and although they lasted the years well, by the end of the century when the youth club was in occupation, they were in a poor condition and needed replacing. As they deteriorated, it became a continual struggle to comply with the health and safety regulations and soon the roof and the heating system were in need of urgent attention and it was decided that remedial work would be too costly and total replacement was the only option.

During the intervening years, the youth service had expanded considerably and in Lincolnshire it became the responsibility of the Education and Cultural Services Directorate of the county council which, by the year 2000, was employing 27 full time and 300 part time youth workers. The scope of the directorate was to respond to young people, predominantly in the 13-18 age group, through the provision of youth centres, resources, the development of projects and, working alongside other agencies, the management of the Duke of Edinburgh Awards and a wide range of planned and spontaneous programmes ranging from outdoor pursuits, community involvement, outreach work, residential, arts, sports and issues of concern to young people in their personal lives.

It was this department, under the directorship of Dr Cheryle Berry, that decided in 2003 to replace the huts at Bourne with a brand new youth centre close by and the plans included a main hall for activities, coffee bar and lounge, a quiet room, information technology suite, offices, stores and toilets, and an all-weather outdoor hard court, at a total cost of £432,000. Local councillors welcomed the development as a benefit to the community as a whole and after the scheme had been approved by the county council, work began early the following year although the club continued to operate from its present premises and disruption to roads, paths, car parking areas and the nearby tennis courts was kept to a minimum.

There were delays but the project was eventually completed by the summer and the centre opened its doors on Monday 13th September 2004. Other organisations involved with youth, family and charity work will also use the premises and there are long term plans to provide conference facilities for business groups.

Bourne Youth Centre currently has five permanent staff and two volunteers, all vetted and approved by Lincolnshire County Council that provides funding for the building, salaries and maintenance costs. There are 150 members and the centre runs a wide variety of activities from a football team to music workshops and homework clubs. Parents are also welcome to look around at any time and chat to the staff and local firms are encouraged to help with sponsorship or by donating items and fittings such as blinds, kitchen utensils and sports equipment, money for trips and outings.

The centre also provides an opportunity for youngsters to talk about their feelings and their problems with someone outside their school and home. Youth development worker Dave Gosney who is based there said: “Our mission statement is ‘Working with the future today’ and we can do this not only through activities but also through mediation, counselling and advocacy. Teenagers can often feel they are the only ones in the world who have ever faced a problem and in those cases we can provide a non-judgmental ear and offer support.”

In November 2004, the youth centre held its first members' forum, a discussion allowing all users to express their thoughts and opinions. The guest speaker was Councillor John Kirkman, who represents the Bourne Abbey division on Lincolnshire County Council, and he promised to attend future forums that are to be held on a regular basis. The success of the centre seems assured. "The reaction has been immense and youngsters have been flocking in to see what we have to offer", said Dave Gosney. "The children feel proud of their youth centre already. It is as though Christmas has come early."

An official opening was held in March 2005 when a plaque was unveiled by Councillor Ian Croft, the member for Bourne Castle on Lincolnshire County Council. "It is a very smart new base for the youngsters", he said. "They are already caring for it and there has been an increased attendance since it opened. It is long overdue and the former building can only be described as a shed and certainly not built for use as a youth centre."

REVISED SEPTEMBER 2009

See also    The demolition of the old youth centre     Happy Days