Grove Park Youth Club forced to close from funding cuts is to reopen after years of local campaigning

By Grainne Cuffe, local democracy reporter

A youth club is officially reopening next month in Grove Park eight years after it closed because of funding cuts.  

Thanks to the persistent campaigning of local residents, the Grove Park Youth Club is set to open its refurbished Bauhaus-inspired building from Monday, July 26.  

The club originally opened in 1966 for residents of the Chinbrook Estate. It served the community for nearly 50 years before Lewisham Council withdrew funding after its youth services were cut by 70 per cent.  

The Grove Park Youth Club Building Preservation Trust (BPT) was formed in 2016 by and after a group of local residents campaigned against the proposed demolition of building. The plan was to replace it with flats. 

The Trust has been working ever since to bring the youth club back into use.  

It got the council and local MP Janet Daby on board and in 2018 received funding from Willmott Dixon Interiors for a refurbishment. 

In 2021 the trust secured funding from the National Lottery Community Fund, which enabled the GPYC to open and run from summer 2021, covering bills, some capital investment and employment. 

It is expected to generally support the trust’s work over two years “to make this a sustainable and long-lasting community hub with an emphasis on the needs of young people”. 

The BPT said it is running a summer scheme for young people in partnership with the Rio Ferdinand Foundation and the National Lottery Community Fund.

It announced this week: “The time has finally come.  We are delighted to announce that GPYC will open its doors to young people once again after being closed for eight years.  

“From the threat of demolition, to refurbishment and now to opening again, our Trust has worked hard for many years and given thousands of hours of voluntary time to save this gem of a building and bring it back to life for young people and our community.  

“In association with Rio Ferdinand Foundation, we will operate a summer holiday scheme followed by ongoing youth club provision. More details will follow very soon.” 

The GPYC hosted an open day on Saturday (June 19) as part of London Festival of Architecture and screened a short film about its architectural significance and the campaign to get it reopened.   

The reopening comes after it emerged in April that more than 40 per cent of youth organisations across the capital could close within a year over lack of funding. 

Charity London Youth surveyed 120 organisations – a quarter also said they would have to make staff redundant.

The pandemic has had a significant impact but it followed many years of chronic budget cuts to the sector.