Making room for young people

A village where the youth club closed 15 years ago has opened a new room dedicated to young people at a local memorial hall, with a little help from the Keepmoat Foundation.

There have been no facilities for the younger generation in Gotham, Rushcliffe, since the closure of the youth club more than a decade ago.

As a result, the trustees who manage and maintain Gotham Memorial Hall decided to transform one of its rooms into a space for the youth of today, dedicated to artistic, creative and physical activities.

They have been supported with a £1,500 grant from the Keepmoat Foundation to complete the refurbishment of the room. The Foundation is supported by Keepmoat delivery companies Bramall Construction, Frank Haslam Milan (FHM) and Keepmoat Homes who are currently working in the Nottinghamshire area.

Gill Hind, one of the group’s 13 trustees and its fundraising officer, said: “We were absolutely thrilled to receive the funding from the Keepmoat Foundation, which helped us to finish off the room. This is part of an eight-year project to revamp the Memorial Hall.

“There was clearly a need to provide some sort of facilities for the young people in the area, as there was just nothing here for them at all. Now there is a space for them to be creative and to express themselves.”

The Memorial Hall is used by around 1,800 people. A range of activities are held in the hall ranging from kung fu classes to toddler groups.

All the rooms are named after stories in the locally known book of Gotham Tales. The new room for young people has been named ‘Moonrakers’, after the story about local villagers who tried to rake the moon out of a pond when they thought it was cheese.

Two other projects in Nottinghamshire received donations from the Keepmoat Foundation. The Cotgrave Colts Football Club received £750 for new equipment for its youth teams. Harmless, a group that provides support and information in Clifton and Rushcliffe for people who self harm, their friends and families, received £1,500.

Steve Howe, Executive Advisor to the Keepmoat Foundation, said: “These projects reflect some of the many issues faced by young people and the communities in which they live. Support for these projects is essential if they are to continue to give the opportunity for developing self confidence and creating a sense of community spirit.”