May 24, 2019

News! Grove Park Youth Club BPT is very pleased to announce our new patron, Janet Daby MP. Thank you Janet for supporting our campaign both locally and recently with your House of Commons speech on youth provision. We look forward to working with you on our journey to reopen Grove Park Youth Club. We hope that day is not too far away!

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Here is an extract from Janet's speech in the House of Commons on 15th May 2019: 

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"Spending on youth services has fallen by 70% under the Government, which has affected the Grove Park youth club in my constituency. The club closed in 2013 as central Government cuts meant that the council could no longer afford to maintain it. Its catchment area encompasses around 7,000 young people, and it is situated in one of Lewisham’s most deprived wards. On the local estate, two incidents of serious youth stabbings have been recorded in the period since the youth club closed. Government statistics show that crime in the club’s catchment area rose between 2010 and 2015 despite an overall reduction in crime in the borough. I support bringing this much-needed club back into use; it should be given consideration as part of the Government-led public health approach."

January 14, 2019

An article published in the Guardian today features the Building Preservation Trust and our Chair Rob Clayton - 'As the city’s population nears 10 million and its murder rate reaches its highest in a decade, are young Londoners suffering disproportionately?' 

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Here is an extract: 

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Among the 81 youth clubs that have shuttered since 2011 is Grove Park in Lewisham, south-east London, which closed in 2013 when the local council implemented central government cuts that have slashed 34% (almost £1.5m) from its youth services budget since 2011. Another £200,000 will go in this year’s budget. (Neighbouring Southwark and Lambeth have experienced cuts of more than 50%.) Property developers swooped in with plans to knock it down and build new flats.

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“It was built in 1966, and it’s served the community for almost five decades,” says Rob Clayton, chairman of the youth centre’s building preservation trust, which has been campaigning to get it reopened since 2015. “Nobody wants it demolished. All the locals are saying there’s a need for a youth club here – but all of a sudden it was gone, and the Labour MP Heidi Alexander was standing there, next to property developers, giving the local community this ‘There’s no magic money tree’ type of lecture.”

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Clayton refused to give up, helping organise tireless voluntary campaigning by the community, from public meetings and lobbying the council to working with architects and establishing its importance as a Bauhaus-inspired building. He and his fellow campaigners fitted the work around full-time jobs. “I put in about 40 hours a month on this,” he says. “I come from a working-class background, grew up on a council estate, and I’m not massive about youth clubs – but it’s just the general fabric of our society being broken down and asset-stripped. And I thought if I can’t do something nationally, I can do something on my doorstep.”

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The building was saved from demolition in August 2017. The party was attended by Alexander’s replacement as local MP, Janet Daby, who has been much more supportive, and although a lot of work remains to get the centre open again, it felt like something of a turning point, Clayton says.

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“It was just fantastic seeing the building come to life again that day, after all those years closed,” he says. “We had singers, rap artists, dancers, someone cooking jerk chicken – it was a sunny day and it was just a wonderful atmosphere. It was a taste of the future, and what we’re trying to get back.

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“And I think some of the local politicians have realised it’s not a good look closing youth clubs while young people are killing each other right, left and centre.”

September 19, 2018

The Building Preservation Trust has been awarded a £6500 grant from the Architectural Heritage Fund! We are being funded to carry out a feasibility study for realising our community's plan for the Youth Club - to transform it into a multi-use youth enterprise hub providing pathways to employment and a hub for the whole community. We have 6 months to produce the report and will be working with an architect and business planner to bring this vision to funding partners and stakeholders. 

September 11, 2018

Thank you to Lewisham Local for covering the story of GPYC's refurbishment! 

August 14, 2018

Join us for a day of celebrating the end of Willmott Dixon's refurbishment of GPYC! From 12.30 to 3.30 this Friday (17th August), there will be an open community party in the Youth Club - including speeches from GPYC members and Janet Daby MP, activities, and food! 

July 27, 2018

From Monday 30th July anyone passing the youth club in Grove Park will finally see the building receiving the care it deserves. Now the building has been saved, work is beginning on the first step to reopening next year. This is thanks to the amazing and generous support of Willmott Dixon Interiors, who will be carrying out a multi-thousand restoration of the club between 30th July and 17th August. This is an exciting and extremely significant development and a major step towards reopening GPYC and obtaining a local listing for the building from the Council. If anyone wishes to help with the works, please turn up at the site or contact: 

communityinteriors@willmottdixon.co.uk

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You can follow progress of the restoration over our social media channels too!

July 03, 2018

The Grove Park Youth Club BPT is mentioned in a Guardian article on the loss of youth services: 'Long hot summer: how kids can stay safe from gangs' 

June 13, 2018

For the second time this year, GPYC is featured in a national news report on the loss of youth services. Click below to watch local residents and members of the BPT stand up for our club on Channel 4 News! 

June 13, 2018

Memories of Grove Park Youth Club from those who met neighbours, husbands, and life-long friends there. Read all about it in Lewisham's new (free!) community newspaper, the Lewisham Ledger. Click the link to see where you can pick up a copy! 

May 24, 2018

Full refurbishment of Grove Park Youth Club will happen this summer – read all the details here!!

May 17, 2018

Read our vision for a regenerated Grove Park Youth Club for the 21st century! 

May 13, 2018

Grove Park Youth Club Building Preservation Trust calls for "internationally-significant" youth club building to be listed  

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September 20, 2017

It has been a very busy summer for the Grove Park Youth Club Building Preservation Trust!  

Since the fantastic, sunny and successful “Great Get Together”, in the youth club grounds, and since receiving confirmation from Lewisham Council to go ahead and formulate our plans, we have been building positive partnerships to bring the reopening of the building a reality.  Here is the latest news:

In the summer a tender was announced for an increased budget for part-time youth provision in the Grove Park area by Youth First.  Youth First are the organisation overseeing youth provision in the Lewisham Borough and their website is here: www.youthfirst.org.uk

The GPYC BPT immediately sprung into action and held several meetings with potential partners to help with a tender to win this money for the youth club.  In an extremely short period of time, our volunteer directors held meetings with Wide Horizons (www.widehorizons.org.uk), the Rio Ferdinand Foundation (www.rioferdinandfoundation.com), Phoenix Community Housing, Youth First and ChART.

The tender to provide youth provision in Grove Park for two years has now been awarded to Elevating Success (www.elevatingsuccess.co.uk) and they begin a three evening provision per week in the WG Grace Centre.  A significant and very positive understanding has been established with Elevating Success and Youth First and this now forms the basis for a positive future for our Youth Club building.  The  GPYC BPT has received written confirmation that as soon as we have the building open and ready, the new youth provision will transfer into the building. So although we are not there just yet, we are getting closer as all parties are looking forward to being part of our exciting plans.  We are now actively fundraising for the capital to restore the building and open the doors on behalf of the community of Grove Park.  Currently we are waiting to hear if our application to the Mayor Of London’s “Good Growth Fund” will be given the green light.

The above process has also allowed us to secure agreements in principle that Wide Horizons and the Rio Ferdinand Foundation are looking forward to providing their own funded youth provision at the site and are looking forward to delivering new programmes from the building once opened. Moreover in these negotiations we are making good progress on the future management and care of the facility.

We continue to work hard on our business planning and are scheduling further rounds of meetings with an aim to opening of our cherished community heritage asset in early 2018.  

Now, we need help!  YOU can help in big and small ways and all are much appreciated - here is how:

Visit our website and join our mailing list and sign our petition here, www.groveparkyouthclub.co.uk

Follow us on Twitter here, @groveparkyc

Follow us on Facebook here, www.facebook.com/groups/GPYCBPT

Share and share again!

If you have experience in business planning, marketing, social media campaigns or graphic design we want you as part of our team.  Just a few hours per month could make big difference to your community and its future!  So please get in touch with our Chair, Rob Clayton, directly on 07850 050937 or by email rob@robclayton.co.uk

June 22, 2017

Lewisham Council have written to the GPYC BPT to say they are interested in working with us to find a solution to bringing back youth and wider community services in the existing youth club building!! The council are going to engage with us going forward. There is a huge amount of work to do, but this is a very positive step forward. 

Thank you to everyone who has supported us so far.  

June 05, 2017

Grove Park Building Preservation Trust is going to be part of the London Festival of Architecture.

Come and share your memories at The Great Get Together on June 18th 

May 29, 2017

Before the Great Get Together on July 18th we have two community clear up evenings. Please come along if you can on Monday 12th and Tuesday 13th June from 5.30pm in your Youth Club grounds on Marvels Lane.

We will be doing general tidying, sweeping and weeding etc. Lets show we care! Please spread the word

May 19, 2017

ChART will be hosting an event for The Great Get Together on Marvels Lane near the Chinbrook Road junction.

Come along and get involved!

Keep an eye on this event listing for more details as they are confirmed, and get in touch if you'd like to help.
 

june 18th - 12pm - 4pm 

April 03, 2017

Come and share your stories and pictures of Grove Park Youth Club in our new Facebook Group 

March 15, 2017

Our campaign has caught the attention of the authoritative and excellent blog, “Municipal Dreams”.  Take a read all about the Chinbrook Estate and the Youth Club’s part of this unsung part of South east London, it is a fascinating read with great pictures too…

Official launch of Grove Park Youth Club BPT, 20th December 2016.  Please see press release in Documents