Denver Youth Club marks forty years in community

A youth club in West Norfolk has celebrated four decades of supporting children in its community.

Past and present members of Denver Youth Club, which was set up in September 1977, joined together at their regular meeting place in the village hall, on Monday to mark the club’s 40th anniversary.

The group celebrated their milestone with a variety of activities and, of course, a birthday cake.

Chairman of the group John Redcar, who has been involved with the club since its formation, said: “Over the 40 years that I have been involved, the most important thing is the children.

“If you look after them within your own community, you have got a good chance of that community carrying on in the future.”

The club currently has about 40 members on its books, aged between eight and 15, some of whom have relatives who previously were part of the group.

Mr Redcar said some of the past members’ children and grandchildren had gone on to join the club.

They meet every other Monday at Denver Village Hall and have a number of indoor and outdoor activities on offer.

“We have got involved with lots of different things all through the years. We have always had good support from volunteers and we all work together as a team,” he added.

“We went away a few weeks ago with a party of 20, and the youngest child was 10, it was just like we were one big family.”

Mr Redcar said he was set to accompany one of the youth club members as they receive their Duke of Edinburgh gold award in London this week.

He said the club has always encouraged its members to take on the Duke of Edinburgh Award, as there are volunteering opportunities within the club itself.

Although the number of youth clubs regionally has decreased over the time that Denver Youth Club has been formed, with other social opportunities having arisen, the philosophy has stayed the same.

Mr Redcar said: “We have always said you should never lose sight of the fact that the main thing is the young people.”