Broad Street Wrington Youth Week 2016
8th - 12th August
                       
                                                                 2010       2012 
This year's Wrington Youth Week will take place from 8-12 August and the committee is working hard to
finalise the programme of events. This year is the 25th anniversary of Youth Week - look out for more information about our celebrations.

Programmes will be distributed to the schools, and available from Amors, the week commencing 25 April.
Booking in Night will take place at Wrington Sports and Social Club on Wednesday 4 May 5.30-7.30pm,
so please put that date in your diaries. If anyone would like to help out during the week, please contact
one of the Chairs: Jo Sinclair (07905 289721) or Liz Linnitt (07798 697343).

Youth Week Coarse Fishing Group
Photo: Papa Ratzo

                                                                       Wrington Youth Week - 25 Years old in 2016
Simon Phillips writes: We recently held a reunion of committee members from the last 25 years of Youth Week at the Little Red Beetle. There were nearly 30 of us and it was great to share the ups and downs over the years. Youth Week is as strong as ever and I am very proud to be a founding member. These are photos Tony Harden took.                                  28th May, 2016
In 1989 my elder son David was invited by his friend Adam to join in with Blagdon Youth Week. He particularly enjoyed the Night Hike. Blagdon had started their Youth week in 1977 as part of the Silver Jubilee celebrations and will celebrate 40 years next year.

My wife, Chris, and I thought it was a great idea and with friends Sally and Tony Harden started to make plans for Wrington. Tony and I went to a Blagdon meeting to see how it worked and the seeds were sown. During the winter of ‘90-‘91 meetings were held and the First Youth week was conceived.

What is now the Sports and Social Club was still just a sports pavilion at that time and we were allowed use of it by the Parish Council. We asked people to offer a skill, sport or any other activity they thought would be suitable, give us an age range, number of participants and any costs. From this the time table was drawn up.

Year 1 saw 24 events from Wednesday to Friday followed by Rounders’ and a Bar-be que on the Saturday morning. Year 2 saw a move to 4 days and then 5 by year 3.

Our imaginative naming of events sometimes worried our insurers. ‘Deep sea diving’ was one although that was in a pool in the village for children who had done the basic sub aqua the year before. ‘’Build a roof’ did not raise a murmur even though it involved the construction of a roof large enough for a small garage in the car park complete with felt, battens and some tiles!

After 7 years the 4 of us decided it was time to step back. It is wonderful to see that the concept has survived and will celebrate 25 years this year. Thank you to everyone who helped in those early years to set it up and also thank you to everyone who has kept it going, here’s to the next 25!!

Simon Phillips