A MUCH-needed youth club has opened its doors replacing one which shut last year.

Young people will now finally have somewhere to go in Upton with the opening of the new club based at the pavilion on the town’s playing fields.

It has taken five months of work to put together a new team of volunteers to set up the service, now running every Thursday and then later throughout the school summer holidays.

Cash has come from Nexus Housing Association, area county councillor Bob Bullock and via Worcestershire County Council following a successful application for money from one of the youth club volunteers 18-year-old Naomi Donnelly.

The opening of a new youth club has also been supported by West Mercia Police, and the Partners and Communities Together panel in a move which it is hoped will help tackle anti-social behaviour.

The sessions are being run by a trained and vetted senior youth worker, a junior volunteer youth worker and four other full-time volunteers.

The old youth centre, which was extremely popular and was pulling in about 70 youngsters regularly, had to close because of issues with older centre-users, the withdrawal of youth workers’ services, and a loss of funding.

The new youth club will cater for those aged nine to 14, offering Wii console gaming, table tennis, table football, and pool, while there will be plenty to do outdoors – weather permitting – including football and basketball.

Peter Webb, the youth club’s treasurer, said: “Unfortunately the old youth club had to close, and everyone felt we needed a new facility to give the youngsters something to do.

“The youth workers withdrew from the old scheme and the funding also went as well.

“The youths themselves have told us they want this, and we’re getting support from the primary schools as well.

“We’ll also be open for the summer holidays – when many clubs actually close – so that will give people plenty to do.”

Although free to use, the centre is collecting donations for things like drinks, crisps and biscuits and there will also be a tuckshop on site.

Youngsters wanting to use the centre just need to turn up on Thursday, from 6.30pm until 8.30pm.