Gamesley on! Community centre reopens three weeks after closure

A community centre forced to close three weeks ago will partially reopen on Monday after activists fought to win a temporary operating licence.

Boards will come off the windows at Gamesley Community and Sports Centre in time to welcome the Hangout Club, a youth group that takes place on Monday and Wednesday evenings. 

Derbyshire County Council (DCC) initially forced the centre to shut its doors despite the Gamesley Community Group (GCG) insisting it had enough funds to cover the lease. 

After “tirelessly wading through the bureaucracy” of DCC, the group say that they have been “granted a temporary opening permit ahead of taking the full lease on the property.” 

Although they aren’t allowed to offer a full range of events yet, the GCG will focus on providing activities for under-16s including Saturday football sessions and the Hangout Club, which organiser Helen Thornhill says is vital for the wellbeing of not just the youngsters, but the entire community. 

“We provide two weekly sessions to vulnerable children and young people, in an area where there are no facilities or provision for young people, where there are high levels of crime, high levels of unemployment and young people feel forgotten by society.  

“Many of the young people come from broken homes, or live in foster care, are vulnerable to exploitation and living below the poverty line. We build self-esteem through activities encourage friendships to form, giving them a time out from the stresses of their life’s which for some is life saving.  

“The volunteers are all trained in various supportive skills, to help recognise issues and to signpost or escalate to organisations when needed.  

“Without the Hangout Club many of these young people would be on the streets, getting in trouble and vulnerable to exploitation.” 

These thoughts were echoed by High Peak MP, Jon Pearce, who said, “Lots of hard work has been going on. We’ve been working really closely with the community group that wants to take over the centre. 

“We’ve had meetings, we’ve held discussions, and progress has been made. It looks like we’ve nearly got a deal; it’s not done yet, but the good news is that it looks like we’re going to have a sustainable future for the community centre, owned by the local community.”