Hailsham Youth Service

WINTER ACTIVITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN HAILSHAM (13/01/25)

Hailsham Youth Service continues to benefit young people school years 7 to 12, providing them with access to a wide range of opportunities and activities throughout the year.

The Friday Night Project (FNP), which is run by Hailsham Youth Service and funded by Hailsham Town Council, works in partnership with organisations such as Knockhatch, Hailsham Community College and Freedom Leisure to help create fun recreational activities for young people on Friday evenings and will continue to be a feature on their social events calendar during the winter months.

A variety of activities have been planned, including indoor activities at Knockhatch Adventure Park, ten-pin bowling at Freedom Leisure Centre, open ski sessions, skiing lessons and Ringo tobogganing at Knockhatch Ski Centre and activity nights at the Station Youth Centre.

Also scheduled to take place in January is a talk by guest speaker Martin Cosser - "The Power of Choice: Preventing Knife Crime in Our Community" - who will share his personal story about the tragic effects of knife crime. Martin, who sadly lost his son to knife violence, will speak about the dangers of carrying a knife and how it can change lives forever. Martin won the ''Pride of Britain Fundraiser of the Year' award for raising thousands of pounds for his anti-knife crime charity, Charlie's Promise.

Taking place at the Station Youth Centre on Thursday 16th January at 3.15pm, the talk is an important chance for young people, parents and members of the community to hear from someone who has experienced first-hand the devastating impact of knife crime.

Young people who stay for the duration of the talk will be treated to a free pizza at a later date as a thank you for attending.

The Mayor of Hailsham Cllr Paul Holbrook recently commended Hailsham Youth Service for providing young people with ample activities in a safe environment to help keep them occupied when not at school, and for the dedication and enthusiasm of the Town Council's youth workers.

"Parents can be confident that Hailsham Youth Service provides a safe environment for our local young people, giving them opportunities to socialise and take part in various activities after school and on weekday evenings, including those activities which make up the Friday Night Project programme as well as special events such as the forthcoming talk on knife crime by Martin Cosser," said Cllr Holbrook.

"For 25 years, Hailsham Youth Service has improved the quality of life for local young people in the town and surrounding rural villages. Such benefits have been achieved through the integrated provision of recreation, in addition to opportunities for personal and social development, information and advice."

"The development of the Town Council's youth projects since its launch proves that there are ample opportunities for developing partnerships with other agencies to provide innovative work with individuals or groups of young people."