AN ISOLATED village is in danger of losing its youth club because of a lack of volunteers

The committee which manages Princetown Youth Club has been reduced to only one person – the chairman.

The club therefore has put out an SOS to anyone who has time, commitment and enthusiasm for youth activities and wellbeing to step up and help support an important community service.

The club is vital to the youngsters who use it because they have nowhere else to socialise and enjoy group activities. The village does not have a good public transport system with the last bus from Tavistock leaving at 6pm, meaning they cannot join in activities in the nearest town without parental transport.

The club provides sessions at the club centre and in the local area which are organised by youth leaders Ross Wheeler and Sinead Devlin.

The activities help keep youngsters occupied and potentially off the streets.

The also support classes to provide them with life skills such as cooking and teach them the importance of good diets. The youth centre provides youngsters with a safe space where they can talk to each other and independent adults about their concerns, away from school and the home.

Club chairman Emma Byrom, also the village school headteacher, said: “It is with great sadness that myself, and employees Ross and Sinead are having to discuss the future of the youth club.

“Unfortunately, over the years, support from parents and members of the community has practically ceased due to other commitments like work and family which leaves us with no committee driving the club forward.

“As a result of this, there has been very little funding raised and we are now in a position where financially we cannot afford to continue as we are.

“We desperately want to keep the club going as it is a ‘free to use' asset to the children of our community. In order for the club to remain open, we need a proactive and dedicated management committee.”

The main role is to oversee the club and help to it to flourish by helping to write funding applications, support managing the finances, occasionally support on club night and support with fundraising activities.

The committee will meet once every six weeks at the most and tasks raised will be shared out amongst the committee based on skills and expertise.

Emma added: “The youth club is especially important in Princetown because it is a cut-off community for youngsters who cannot access similar support because travel links aren’t good enough.

“The youth club isn’t just a place to hang out and have fun, it’s also a safe place where young people can feel confident to talk over any issues affecting their lives which might be about school or home.

“So we are asking if anyone feels they have the skillset required and the time to give back to the children to keep this club going please get in touch by email by Friday, February 21.”

Emma Byrom can be contacted by email with offers of help: [email protected]