Traditional Youth Group started by Big Local which evolved into a wide range of support for North Cleethorpe young people
When? Started 2017 at Pavilion. Ran as a traditional youth group until 2020 when it closed. Funding continued to be distributed to local projects until 2024
Partners: YMCA. VANEL.
Supporting Young People was a key theme for the support Big Local North Cleethorpes wanted to offer in the area. It was clear from talking to the community and partners that there needed to be more for young people to do. Back in 2016 there was no Youth Club or Group within the immediate North Cleethorpes area. Trin Youth Group didn’t really function at the time in the same way it does now.
So Big Local North Cleethorpes decided to try and get a Youth Group off the ground. At the time this was started through the efforts of local keen residents and parents and there was a lot of support directly from YMCA Humber who were supporting several Youth Groups across North East Lincolnshire.
With a bit of effort, a first youth group for children 8-17 was established in 2017 and started using the hall at the newly reopened Sidney Sussex Pavilion. At this point Big Local North Cleethorpes contributed six months worth of room hire to get the group off the ground.
In fact, the group began to grow easily and numbers increased. Big Local made a contribution for equipment late in 2017 and then the children themselves worked on giving the group a name and creating a logo. CYC The Hangout was officially born. (CYC = Cleethorpes Youth Club).
During 2018 there was more funding from Big Local to help with room hire, running costs and hoodies. And at the start of 2018 the group had moved to a new premises on Grant Street and was running well.
More volunteers were getting involved. A bank account was opened and a constitution put in place. But the group needed a larger, different venue and by the end of 2018 had moved into its more permanent home at Kings Baptist Church in Cleethorpes. We’ve been very grateful for the support from each of the venues over the years.
In 2018 Big Local North Cleethorpes committed more funding to the group to ensure it had money available to run the group; meet costs; run trips and buy equipment.
January 2019 there was an official launch party at Kings Baptist Church. A proper committee was established as was a youth voice committee.
By this time the group was being led by our Youth Development Worker Jasmin. YMCA had very much helped establish the group but then had stepped away of it to run itself. The group had a great set of volunteers helping out, but it was always a juggle to get the group running well, but it was ticking along nicely.
With the support of Big Local North Cleethorpes, the youth group applied for and received £10k from Awards for All to help with running costs and to get the group properly established.
Fundraisers were organised. Equipment was donated. Publicity brought in more children. The club was running well.
So many local organisations donated to the group including: a table tennis table; table football; a brand new pool table; games; x-box; several Wii consoles; sports equipment (for beach days); and a large TV (after our first one was stolen!).
Trips for the children were organised to Tattershall Farm and to the Deep. This was an exciting opportunity for the children.
Jasmin departed in 2019 to have her first baby. So Big Local and the committee brought in the team from SWAT UK to run the sessions. SWAT UK is a local group which was primarily involved with Blue Lights Brigade and community safety work, but the team members all had experience working with young children and delivering training outcomes, so were suitable to help run the club for what we believed would be a temporary period.
Then Covid struck.
The Club had to shut the doors in 2020 and sadly it never reopened.
During lockdown Big Local was successful getting some funding in to run some remote sessions to educate parents and children about using digital technology. And for a while we brought the kids together for some online zoom sessions. Of course this was not the same and it was hard to keep the momentum going.
So during 2020 the group was essentially disbanded temporarily which was a shame for everyone involved – especially the young people. In 2020 we also sadly lost Ian Brocklebank who passed away. Ian was on the committee of the Hangout and was a keen supporter and volunteer.
By the time restrictions had been lifted, we’d lost other volunteers who had moved onto new things and so many parts of the puzzle to run the group needed to be put back together. In the end, Big Local and the Hangout committee members decided that restarting the Youth Groups was not easily possible with the people resources available. Officially CYC The Hangout closed permanently later in 2020.
The final chapter
This was sad, but there was a new chapter to unfold. The Hangout still had quite a lot of funding in the bank account after years of getting in funding and donations. The decision was made to ensure that this money was spent on activities that benefited young people in the North Cleethorpes area. Essentially carrying out what Hangout was all about, but without the actual youth group bit.
Since 2020 until late 2024, Big Local and the remaining Hangout committee worked with many other local groups and people and funded many small initiatives using the Hangout funding. You can read about each of these here.
A few hundred pounds here or there provided a range of activities that supported young people from the North Cleethorpes area. As this money was being spent it was continuing to fulfil part of the aims of the Hangout when it was first setup.
A further grant was also achieved by VANEL and Big Local applying to the Humberside Police and Crime Commissioner and some of this was used to fund some further youth art workshops alongside the money that Hangout was distributing.
Who knows where the Hangout would be now if Covid had not happened. But we do know that over the years of the club itself and with all the activities that Hangout has funded since, many hundreds of young people from the North Cleethorpes area have hopefully had a bit of fun being connected to various activities.
A very final chapter was a funding application in late 2024 to do an art project at 82 Grimsby Road (the Community Hub). Some of this was used to run some final youth art workshops to help design new shutters on the building.
Lots of fun
As well as several weekly sessions there were so many fun events and activities too…
A big thank you to:
Every Hangout team leader and volunteer.
Our funders who supported us.
Parents and donors.
Local organisations who provided money or items.
Our venues at the Pavilion, Grant Street and Kings Baptist Church.
Our committee members.
Anyone else who supported our venture – especially YMCA for their early efforts.
The young people who came along and got involved (and had some fun hopefully).
Read more now about the final projects that Hangout helped once the group itself closed down.