When the youth club at Caddington in Bedfordshire was destroyed in a fire, the club members were left with nowhere to meet and socialise, but instead of brooding about their loss, they saw an opportunity to improve their facilities. With the support of the local parish council and under the guidance of Young People’s Forum facilitator, Paul Longshaw, the young people all got together, and created a ‘wish list’ of what they would really like to have in the village.
As there was nowhere to get out of the wind and rain, a shelter was top of their list of priorities, so they researched all the options and selected the Youth Shelter from Monster Play Systems as the one that appealed to them. Monster Play shelters have been designed in consultation with young people, so it was not surprising that the modern trendy design attracted the club members. The model they chose was the YS001c with the solar powered lighting, which meant they could still use the shelter during the cold, dark winter evenings.
Paul Longshaw commented, “The young people got totally involved in the project, not only choosing the shelter that they wanted, but on the big day that it arrived, they rolled up their sleeves and actually installed it themselves. Monster Play Systems provided a supervisor to oversee the project, but it was the young people that did the hard work. This not only made a small saving on the labour charge, but it gave them all a real sense of ownership.”
When the shelter was delivered, it was flat packed and easy to assemble. The forum members decided where to site it, assembled the shelter, dug the foundations and concreted in the supports. The whole project was finished in a day, and once the concrete had set, it only needed final safety checks by the manufacturers.
Added Longshaw, “Since day one, the shelter has proved very popular with young people of all ages. The younger ones use it during the day, and the teenagers use it during the evenings. Having solar powered lighting means they can use it all year round, so it’s become a central meeting point in the village. The local police have been supportive of this project - we invited them to take part in the build so they could get to know some of the youngsters on a level footing. The shelter has become a magnet for all the youngsters, it keeps them out of trouble and their parents know where they are.
Marco Boi, sales and marketing manager for Monster Play Systems commented, “This was a very satisfying project for us because it underlines the very principles behind our youth shelters. Involving the young people in the project makes them feel important and that they can make a positive contribution to their community. Taking ownership of the equipment means they appreciate it more, look after it when they use it, and reduces any tendency to vandalism.”
With the community being involved with the project from selection to installation, the shelter not only provides a solution, but it has become a feature of the village and the young people are proud of ‘their’ shelter.
e n d s
Date May 2007
Editor’s notes
High resolution photos available on request
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Paul Quinn, managing director.
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