Foster carer hosts open day for new youth club

Anya Eames raised £2,000 for the youth club taking part in the 'Rat Race' challenge in March.

A foster carer will be holding an open day for the first youth club in a Gloucestershire village in decades today.

Anya Eames, from Frampton on Severn, raised £2,000 for the club by cycling, skiing and walking through Finland, Norway and Sweden in March.

Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire, Ms Eames said the open day on 1 June will focus on getting kids signed up in the local area.

She said a youth club is vital for the area to give young people support and a safe space to socialise.

The Frampton youth club will open fully on 13 June.

The foster carer said the money raised from the 'rat-race' challenge also went on to support the Gloucester-based youth charity Increase the Peace, which received £700 of the money raised.

The youth club will open fully on 13 June

Ms Eames was moved to act following the killing of 16-year-old Ramarni Crosby in December 2021.

Four teenagers were jailed after he was stabbed to death in Gloucester.

Speaking previously to the BBC, the carer said she wanted the space to be "more than a youth club" with a particular focus on workshops.

"So you can have your bushcraft days which are taking kids out of the area and getting them in the countryside and teaching them what knifes are supposed to be used for. And not what they're being used for at the moment," she added.

Ms Eames said there would also be people around to talk to and support young people.

"With a lot of children, they don't always have that mentor to look up to.

"So having that within the youth club, we hope it will give children support and help them with decision making," she added.

Delroy Ellis, of Increase the Peace, said he has seen a lot of youth clubs being closed over the last 15 years

Delroy Ellis from charity Increase the Peace is focused on decreasing knife crime amongst young people.

He said: "Youth provision is the heart of the community and what I have seen over the past 15 years is a lot of youth clubs being closed."

He added the lack of facilities for young people is a real problem because they "need somewhere safe to go where they can express themselves".

On seeing Ms Eames youth club set up, he said: "The young people that are going to access this building, they are very, very lucky.

"I'm really looking forward to working with them."

The youth club will be situated in a building in the village that was originally built with youth club funds, Ms Eames said.

The open day on 1 June will feature outdoor games, a DJ and a cake stall.