Members of a long-running Burnham-On-Sea youth club are celebrating this week after it was saved from closure at the eleventh hour by a local charity.
Burnham and Highbridge mental health charity In Charley’s Memory has stepped in to save the Zone Youth Club.
Burnham-On-Sea.com reported last month that the long-running youth club, based at Burnham’s Bay Centre in Cassis Close, was due to close down this week due to a lack of volunteers.
However, after reading about plight of the club – which serves dozens of children each week from across the Burnham-On-Sea area – the charity offered to help. In Charley’s Memory was set up after Burnham teenager Charley Marks took his own life at age 18 in 2014.
Since In Charley’s Memory was founded, it has been their commitment to support the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people in the local community.
Jamie Scanlon, Chief Operating Officer at ICM, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Upon reading the sad news that the youth club was being forced into closure I contacted the team at The Zone to see if there was anything that could be done to help. They were kind enough to invite us down to the closing party, which was brim full of happy faces and the young people talked enthusiastically to us about their love of their youth club.”
Jamie adds that ICM is very aware of the difficulties faced by year seven students when trying to adapt to secondary school, and the youth club provides the opportunity to make some connections with other children from the years above.
The club has been run successfully by Jayne Lilley and her son Brandon, pictured above, but several of their appeals for helpers had not yielded enough support for the club to continue.
In Charley’s Memory CEO Dawn Carey adds: “As soon as I walked in, I knew we wouldn’t be walking away from this opportunity, it’s on our doorstep and it makes complete sense for us to step in and keep The Zone going.”
“We can provide early intervention wellbeing support as well as a place to let off steam and socialise with friends in a safe, inclusive space.”
“We already have an amazing team of staff and volunteers who are passionate about making a difference and with the existing team and amazing young people already using the club we are really excited about the future for The Zone.”
The youth club’s Jayne Lilley told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “We are absolutely delighted that In Charley’s Memory has stepped in to offer its support to keep the club going.”
“They are such a perfect fit and already do wonderful work for young people in our community.”
Jayne added that after running the club for nine years now and due to her work commitments and that of her son Brandon, who runs the club with me, they are no longer able to keep it running without the help.
“It’s a great relief to think that it will keep running,” she adds.
