New Police Youth Club Goes Live in Brackla
Children from across Brackla were treated to a fun-filled evening of games galore as ‘Brackla Live’, a brand new youth club organised by South Wales Police PCSOs Kerry Davies and Richard Matthews, was launched on Friday 27th March.
From 6 – 8pm at the Brackla Deaf and Social Club on Coychurch Rd, 64 children from around Brackla joined police, Communities First and two youth workers from Bridgend County Youth Service for an exciting evening of fun and games after tracing the ‘Brackla Live’ Space Man logo in the weeks leading up to the youth club launch.
The club was designed for children aged 8 – 15, and those who attended had the chance to play on the Nintendo WII, Playstation games, Sing Star, or lap top police puzzles with Police School Liaison Officer PC John Stewart. Children also listened to music and practised dance routines, whilst some went head to head on the snooker table.
The Brackla PCSOs started to organise the youth club after talking to children in the area and hearing they felt bored most evenings. PCSO Richard Matthews said: “We conducted a survey and found that most of the children who were dissatisfied with the facilities available to them in the evenings were between 8 and 15 years old. It’s a hard age group to target but we thought starting a youth club would give the children something to do and something to look forward to.”
From then on, the PCSOs went on a mission to promote the youth club around schools in Brackla, advertising the ‘Brackla Live’ Space Man logo to get the buzz going.
Wales and West Housing Association funded Bridgend company ‘Graham’s Minibus Hire’ to collect children free of charge from 3 bus stops around Brackla to take them to the club, meaning more children could attend even if their parents couldn’t take them directly. All children were then dropped back to the bus stops by ‘Graham’s Minibus’ once the club had finished.
Councillor David Sage attended the launch night and enjoyed chatting with the youths and parents. He said: “This youth club is a fantastic opportunity for the young people of Brackla. I would like to thank PCSOs Kerry Davies and Richard Matthews for their hard work and dedication in organising and running the club, and Communities First for their support.”
Councillor Carolyn Lewis of Brackla Community Council also attended the opening and was thrilled with the success of the club. She said “A big thank you to the Police Community Support Officers for what has been a huge success tonight. They have worked tirelessly for this event and I hope this launch of ‘Brackla Live’ is the beginning of a new venture for Brackla.”
Sharon Lloyd, 42, of Bridgend, allowed her son and daughter to attend the club. She said: “I was really impressed that somebody immediately came to say hello to me when we arrived, explaining the safety side of the event and showing me around. The whole night was extremely well organised.”
Carol Louise Hill, whose daughter went to ‘Brackla Live’ with friends said: “I think the club is a great idea. The kids have really enjoyed it and it’s given us parents a break and a chance to catch up. It stops the children wandering the streets, and I’d be more than happy to let the kids attend every week knowing that it’s run by the police.”
PCSO Kerry Davies said: “We’re really pleased that the evening turned out so well and so many children came. The children have loved it and most have come to me saying they want it to run every week rather than fortnightly or monthly. We’re hoping to do the next one as soon as possible and have told the kids to look out for the Space Man logo.”