A local group launching a centre for young people in Stone are asking for support from the Stone community to help make the project a success.
Steve Walley, Claire Lane, Adrian Harding, Andy Osgathorpe, and Ed Basset have joined forces to establish Crossroads Youth Centre, which will be located at the Crossing Community Centre on Station Approach in Stonefield.
Initially catering for 8–12-year-olds, Crossroads Youth Centre will be more than just a place for children to spend their time. Crossroads aims to be a centre for personal growth and skill development in a fun and safe environment where children can be inspired to get the best from life.
If the centre proves successful, the group plans to expand their services to include an extra evening for 13–16-year-olds.
Claire Lane, Vice Chair of Crossroads, told A Little Bit of Stone:
“The opening of the new youth centre in Stone will provide local children an opportunity to develop friendships with peers and respectful relationships outside the classroom.
A safe place to have fun and learn new skills, these clubs were once a fundamental piece of our society, so I am very excited to be part of rebuilding this for our community here in Stone.”
The Crossroads organizers are holding an open evening on Monday, the 9th of October, from 6:30-8:00pm at the Crossing Community Centre on Station Approach. They invite parents and children to drop into the centre, meet the team, enjoy some pizza and refreshments and, most importantly, share their views on the activities they would like to see at Crossroads.
Steve Walley, Chair of Crossroads, whilst speaking to A Little Bit of Stone, said:
“We want the centre to be led by what children want, so we hope that the children and their parents will come to our open evening and tell us what they want from the centre. From the research we have done already, sports, arts and crafts and cooking are popular activities but new ideas for activities would be really useful.
We are also looking for more adult volunteers to help to run the centre. Full training will be provided, and all volunteers at the centre will be DBS checked and be given professional safeguarding training. If you would like to join the team, please get in touch.”
For further information on Crossroads, or if you want to offer ideas and support, please get in touch with Steve, Claire, Adrian, Andy or Ed via the Facebook Page: facebook.com/StoneCrossroads
