Youth workers are making a difference

New street-based support team have made ‘fantastic start’

THATCHAM’S new team engaging with young people in the town has made a “fantastic start”.

RMD Adventure Learning has partnered with the town council to bring specialist youth workers providing street-based support to young people, principally up to the age of 18 years, in places they like to meet.

Reporting to the town council about their work before the second lockdown, RMD said it identified numerous hotspots in the town.

These included the lakes and Nature Discovery Centre, Nideggen Close, Thatcham Medical Centre and the library, the Kennet Heath Estate, the Henwick Worthy Sports Field and the Thatcham Memorial Hall and playing fields.

One incident involved a teenage boy laying unresponsive on the memorial field.

An ambulance was called and the crowd of teenagers dispersed, before telling youth workers they thought the boy had been knocked out by the group he had been with when they first saw him.

The youth workers supported the ambulance team by staying in the vicinity due to three of the boy’s friends turning up.

They said he and his friends appeared to be on drugs and/or alcohol, but all ended well and ambulance staff thanked the team for their assistance.

Another incident included a complaint from the caretaker at Henwick Worthy Sports Field.

The youth workers attended the scene and said their presence appeared to “diffuse negative behaviour directed towards the groundsman’s home”.

Reflecting on the workers at a recent meeting, Jeremey Cottam (Lib Dem, Thatcham North East) said: “They’ve done a fantastic start.

“They’ve gone round networking with the schools, the police, they’ve identified all the hotspots, they came over really positively.”

Owen Jeffery (Lib Dem, Thatcham Central) added: “I’m very relieved to see that the areas of engagement and the hotspots do correspond with my understanding of where the issues lie.”

Referring to the Memorial Hall and fields, Mr Jeffery said: “That is definitely an area that needs a good deal of work.

“We definitely get some untoward behaviour of various kinds there and that can be during the day as well as in the evening.”

Engagement events had led to positive reactions, with young people provisionally being offered the chance to be put forward for building apprenticeships with the chairman of the parish hall’s company.

This followed a conversation about the need for youth work to be complemented with opportunities and support from the wider community.

Speaking with the Memorial Hall committee revealed that £4,000 each year is spent on litter picking in the area.

RMD said an opportunity could arise once relationships with “key youths” in that area are developed and maintained.

RMD was able to deliver its service and support to the young people in Thatcham during lockdown 2.

“It is our duty to maintain and follow the latest Government guidance and encourage the young people we come across and meet to support the restrictions for the greater good of the community and society as a whole,” the report said.

Future aims include supporting the police regarding the engagement and dispersion of large groups to keep them safe in this era of Covid restrictions.

“We must try and develop our presence in the area into more than low level engagement,” the report said.

“This is challenging in the era of Covid. From experience relationships will become better once we provide regular activities and longer-term opportunities.”