YOUTH services in Blacon have received a big boost thanks to a £7,500 investment from Avenue Services.

The money is being invested from Avenue Services’ surplus fund to provide additional activities for young people of all ages in the community.

A new Blacon Junior Youth Club for children aged seven to 11 is now meeting at the Portakabin building, in Cairns Crescent, between 3.30 and 5pm every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The club is free to attend and offers somewhere for children to meet with friends and take part in a variety of games, sports and activities.

It is run by Avenue Services youth workers, who already deliver a youth club for 13- to 19-year-olds at Cairns Crescent between 5pm and 7.30pm on the same days.

A new weekly youth club, for young people aged 11+, has also launched at Blacon Adventure Playground, in Kipling Road.

Taking place in the venue’s newly refurbished activity centre, sessions run between 8pm and 10pm every Friday evening.

A wide variety of sports and recreational activities are on offer, as well as a ‘chill-out area’ where young people can meet and relax in a safe environment.

On the final Friday of each month, the youth club will offer a ‘Junior Raver Fit’ session, run by Rage Fitness Company, providing a fun way to get fit through an energetic workout to music from a live DJ.

This event will be split into two sessions, between 6.30pm and 7.15pm for ages 7-11 and from 7.30-8.30pm for ages 11-16.

Avenue Services has worked with partners including Cheshire Police, Cheshire West and Chester Council and Rage Fitness Company to identify priorities for investment and the sort of activities that should be provided.

Chris Leicester, neighbourhood partnerships manager at Avenue Services, said: “It’s vitally important that young people have access to safe, engaging environments where they can socialise and have fun.

“We’re very excited to be launching these two new youth clubs, which will make our youth services accessible to a much wider audience and make further use of the fantastic facilities available for young people in Blacon.”

For more details about the new youth clubs, call 0300 123 1741 or email avenue.services@sanctuary-housing.co.uk.

Avenue Services, which is a not-for-profit organisation, is a joint venture between Sanctuary Group and Cheshire West and Chester Council.