Light at the end of the tunnel for the Folkestone Youth Project
In the last issue of the Go Folkestone newsletter, I detailed
the problems with finding a suitable location and accommodation to house the
proposed youth centre. Things came to a head before Christmas with the clash
between residents on the Leas and the young people who wanted to practice their
skateboarding skill.
Go Folkestone has always been about “Solutions not Sanctions”, so John Burge,
local resident and one of the group’s founding fathers, suddenly found himself
dragged out of retirement and thrust to the forefront of the battle. John is one
of the few “wrinklies” (and the only one on the Leas it seems) who can cross the
generation gap and deal with young people directly. In talking to the youngsters
concerned, he discovered that they would be quite willing to go somewhere else
if there was somewhere else to go.
Working in conjunction with Tamasin Jarrett, Youth Engagement Officer from
Shepway District Council, he searched and found an area in the harbour complex
that was ideal. Just by chance, right alongside was an empty office block,
recently refurbished and then abandoned by the group that promised to restore
the ferry service a year or so ago. In their haste to get away, they left
accommodation that was almost ready to use for anyone that wanted to take it on.
Roger De Haan bought the harbour as land for his university and wasn’t too
bothered about whatever else was included in the buying price. Once the building
was pointed out to him, he immediately offered it the youth of the town for
their new centre.
The project that had languished in the doldrums for years suddenly burst into
life again and a meeting on site of all the interested parties politicians,
police, business, local government and young people reaffirmed everyone’s
determination to get things moving again.
The land outside the building was to be given to the skateboarders from the
Leas, and the building was to house the Folkestone Youth Project until the
seafront development swept it away in about five years time. By that time, a
replacement would have been already built as part of the masterplan.
Terry Begent
Article from Go Folkestone Newsletter March 2007
