Gloucestershire foster carer raises £1,500 for youth club

Anya Eames hopes to get a youth club open in Frampton on Severn in the next few months

A foster carer has raised £1,500 in her mission to open the first youth club in Frampton on Severn in decades.

Anya Eames, who lives locally, raised money by cycling, skiing and walking through Finland, Norway and Sweden.

She said fundraising for the youth club, and to support youth charity Increase the Peace, linked perfectly with wanting a 50th birthday challenge.

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

Ms Eames was moved to act following the killing of 16-year-old Ramarni Crosby in December 2021, with four teenagers jailed after he was stabbed to death in Gloucester.

Ramarni Crosby died following a fight between two groups in Gloucester

She said when they open the facility in Frampton on Severn, she wants it to be "more than a youth club... I want to concentrate more 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 will also be people around to talk 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 is from Gloucestershire-based charity Increase the Peace, which focusses 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."

Ms Eames added they would like to hear from people with advice or anyone interested in supporting the funding of the project.

She said they hope to open within the next three months.