Public Invited to Hailsham Youth Service’s 25th Anniversary Celebrations

Hailsham Youth Service (HYS) is proud to announce its 25th Anniversary later this month and is inviting residents, businesses and the local community to attend a special event to mark the occasion.

Taking place at the Station Youth Centre in Western Road on Tuesday 25th February from 4.30pm to 8pm, members of the public are cordially invited to attend the celebratory event and meet HYS staff and invited guests, as well as find out more about the Service’s achievements during the past two and a half decades and more about its new base of operations at the Centre.

The event starts at 4.30pm and will include an introduction to proceedings by the Town Mayor, Cllr Paul Holbrook, followed by a talk about the Service by Youth Service Manager Andy Joyes and Deputy Manager Joel Cottingham and the cutting of the 25th Anniversary cake. Afterwards, there will be a buffet for guests, multimedia presentations and a Hailsham Youth Service photo booth to have your pictures taken to post on social media.

Invited guests will include representatives from local schools, youth organisations and businesses, as well as local councillors.

Hailsham Youth Service, funded and managed by Hailsham Town Council, was founded in February 2000 to provide young people in the local area with opportunities to develop social, physical and emotional and awareness.

The Service currently operates various club and activity sessions for young people, including those that are based at the Station Youth Centre (the Service’s new base of operations, incorporating ‘The Underground’), as well as Hellingly Youth Hub and Monday Youth Hub sessions on weekdays. Additional services include ‘On Track Hailsham’ which caters for young people with special educational needs, Network@The Underground for 18-25s, gaming sessions at ‘The Lounge’, creative arts at ‘Fusion’ sessions and the ‘Friday Night Project’, which organises a varied line-up of free and low-cost recreational activities on Friday evenings.

The Service, which is delighted to be celebrating its Silver Anniversary, has had an impact on the lives of thousands of young people in Hailsham and the surrounding area and grown from one operational base into an expanded network of services which operate throughout the local community.

Regardless of background, gender or culture, young people can expect a safe, supportive, fun and non-judgmental environment at all of the Service’s centres and through its various activities and advisory services.

“Hailsham Youth Service aims to provide activities, which are both leisure and issue based, and meet the multitude of needs that the young people put forward us on a regular basis,” said Town Mayor, Cllr Holbrook. “The 25^th anniversary of the youth project marks over two decades of hard work and solid achievement of these aims.”

“The development of the Town Council’s youth projects since 2000 proves that there are ample opportunities for developing partnerships with other agencies to provide innovative work with individuals or groups of young people. The 25^th anniversary event will be a good opportunity for people to see how successful the introduction of this youth facility and its continual expansion has been!”

Youth Service Manager, Andy Joyes commented: “It has been a pleasure to lead and develop Hailsham Youth Service from the very beginning – and to work with such amazing youth workers. Everyone’s positive attitude and obvious enjoyment in working with young people has ensured that HYS has gone from strength to strength since its launch.”

“We have had great support from the Town Council, which has backed us all the way, and the various projects we have undertaken in partnership with other youth agencies have been particularly enjoyable too. We have had a considerable impact on our community by providing advice and support, community engagement, and working towards the empowerment of our local youth.”

Mr Joyes added: “As we celebrate the 25th Anniversary milestone, I want to extent my gratitude to the young people, families, youth workers, Town Council officers and volunteers who all have a part to play in this incredible journey. I hope that young people will continue to enjoy everything Hailsham Youth Service has to offer in years to come.”

For more information on the Hailsham youth Service, visit hailshamyouthservice.org or call 01323 841702.