New deal for youngsters

A WIDE-ranging package of facilities and activities tailored for young people in Uckfield is beginning to take shape, drawn up by a forum of organisations including the police and youth service.

The youth forum met on Thursday last week and mapped out the direction its work should go. It wants to expand the use of the Youth Zone drop-in centre, introducing extra sessions and setting up support groups for single parents, an information shop offering health education advice, including sexual health issues and substance abuse, and possibly a teenage pregnancy clinic.

This is good news for the Uckfield Youth Trust which runs the Youth Zone and is currently plagued with problems, as reported in the Sussex Express last week.

'We are looking at what the Youth Zone is all about and expanding it to meet the needs of young people,' said chairman of the forum Jack Sephton.

The forum is also considering provision of support and advice for young people on the streets and looking into the community provision young people would like to see. A survey of their views is currently being carried out by youth workers in town on Friday nights and a report should be drawn up by Easter on the results.

In addition, the forum is looking into making it possible for young people to access water sports, weekend activities and summer activities.

'Now what we have got to do is get the support of all the agencies around in order to meet these needs,' said Mr Sephton.

He added a day-long conference was being planned to enable the agencies to get together and work out how they could impact on the plan.

'I think something has been on the cards for a long time in Uckfield. There has been lots of talk about it but now we are able to make things happen,' said Mr Sephton.

Youth trust chairman Andrew Newnham, who spoke in the Express last week about problems with renewing planning permission for the Youth Zone at 109 High Street and restricted opening because of the limited youth worker availability, said the news was 'brilliant'.

He was looking forward to hearing more about the plans.