Hailsham Youth Service

NEW YOUTH CENTRE OPENING IN HAILSHAM SOON! (07/06/24)

A new youth club will open its doors later this month, which will engage young people in Hailsham and the surrounding area.

'The Station Youth Centre, which will be available for young people to attend from Tuesday 18th June, will be based on the lower floor of Hailsham Youth Service 's newly acquired building in Western Road formerly Hailsham Free Church) and will run sessions on weekday afternoons and evenings operating all year round).

The announcement of the opening of The Station Youth Centre is just part of an exciting new chapter for Hailsham Youth Service, following the recent purchase of new premises by the Town Council and relocation of the youth service's operational centre to Western Road.

The Service, which this year celebrates 25 years of effective operation in Hailsham and Hellingly, has had an impact on the lives of thousands of young people and grown from one operational base at 1 Market Square into an expanded service which operates throughout the local community.

The service, which is funded and managed by the Town Council , provides activities, support services and opportunities for young people in the local area and operates the Hellingly Youth Hub and Monday Youth Hub sessions on weekdays, in addition to organising free and low-cost activities at various locations as part of the ‘Friday Night Project'.

The service also operates a detached (outreach) service on weekday evenings, as well as offering information, support and advisory services for young people experiencing a range of issues such as those relating to mental health, sexual health and unemployment.

The new Hailsham Youth Service building, at which The Station Youth Centre is based, is suitably located close to the town centre and recreation ground (allowing the Service to stay at the centre of the community) and boasts high accessibility levels with disabled access provided and nearly 400m2 of space for young people and the wider community to use.

The ground-level main hall, housing The Station Youth Centre, has been transformed into a lounge-style space for young people, with comfortable seating areas and facilities including pool tables, air hockey, table tennis, table football, board games and X-Box,

Sessions at The Station Youth Centre will be free to enter for local young people and offer activities such as crafts and cooking, with light snacks and refreshments available. The opening times are:

3.15pm-5.15pm: School Years 6-8
6.15pm-8.30pm School Years 9-12

"The Station Youth Centre will provide a safe place to motivate, inspire and empower young people in a constructive way, building community spirit and well-being, " said Youth Service Manager Andy Joyes.

"The new centre will be a great addition to Hailsham, and I believe it will provide a safe space for many young people, but also give them a range of great opportunities just like the young people who attend the Hellingly Youth Hub, Monday Youth Hub and Friday Night Project receive."

"Within growing communities, provision needs to be made for young people, and by running this new, much larger and inclusive centre, our hope is to encourage them to take part in the wide range of activities organised by Hailsham Youth Service if they don't already."

Mr Joyes added: "The relocation of our centre in Market Square to the new operational facility will completely transform the Service, making better use of space, establishing a much more welcoming environment and empowering us to provide an even wider range of activities and support to young people in Hailsham and surrounding villages."

”I'm looking forward to the forthcoming opening of the new youth centre, this year itself being a very special one for Hailsham Youth Service which celebrates 25 years of dedicated operation."

“It is vital that young people in our town have a fit for purpose space that they can call their own, where they can meet other young people, socialise and make new friends, engage in lots of activities and learn new skills, as well seek support from our range of advisory services when they need it from members of our youth service team.”

Town Clerk John Harrison commented: "By acquiring the new centre of operations for our youth service, we're optimistic that we can now go even further in terms of meeting the needs of young people through facilitated activities and support. In short, The Station Youth Centre which opens soon will be a great addition to Hailsham Youth Service's offering."

"Managing the greater demand from young people to have safe places to go and something to do out of school time is important. The Station Youth Centre's aim will be to provide a space where young people can chill out and make new friends and, like our other venues, will ensure a safe and welcoming environment for them regardless of background, gender or culture."