Youth centre work under way at last

Work has started on a £3/4m youth centre on Newark’s former Sconce Hills School playing field, after nine years of campaigning.

The project is being paid for by Nottinghamshire county and Newark and Sherwood district councils.

The centre will have two meeting rooms, a training room, a café, a kitchen and toilets. Outside there will be an all-weather pitch, a play area, and a skate park.

The first sod was cut by Mr and Mrs Mark Mathias, of Trinity Road, Newark, on Friday.

It is hoped the project will be ready by summer.

Former town councillor Mrs Tracy Mathias (42) a member of the Sconce Working Party, first wrote to the district council in 1999 asking for a youth centre at around the time the secondary school was closing.

“There was nothing for the youngsters to do so I started knocking on doors to get some support,” she said.

After the school was demolished, the playing field was set aside and the rest of the site was sold for housing, with the promise that it would be used for facilities for young people.

Mrs Mathias said the day had been a long time coming and it was fantastic that work had finally started.

The couple, who have three children, David (25) Luke (20) and Ricky (13) used to be involved with the community centre.

Mr Mathias (42) said: “We see young people walking the streets. There’s crime and drugs. They really needed to get somewhere safe to get off the streets.

“It’s a facility for the whole of Newark. Tracy has made a fantastic achievement.”

The district council, which has earmarked about £1/4m towards the project, hopes the centre will help to reduce anti-social behaviour.

The county council has provided just over £1/2m and will run the centre. It will meet the rest of the building costs and provide youth workers.

Further money towards the project will include £100,000 in grants from the landfill tax organisation Wren and Barclays’ Spaces For Sport.

The district’s cabinet member with responsibility for overseeing the development, Mrs Nora Armstrong, was one of the 20 people at the ceremony.

“We hope it’s a great success and that the children take part in having it in Newark,” she said.

Also present were the leader of the district council, Mr Tony Roberts, the district council’s parks and amenities manager, Mr Phil Beard, and the county council’s cabinet member for finance and property, Mr Chris Baron.