Close House On Hand
Hereford’s Close House is on hand provide great opportunities for young people to meet and have great fun together by InSITE Reporter Dave Morrish
Growing up can be a very trying time for a lot of young people. The majority of us have the opportunity to go home at the end of each day, kick-back, relax and enjoy life. For some young people, however, such opportunities aren’t always readily available.
Fortunately, independent youth organisations like Hereford’s Close House are on hand to help. “Young people come between 1:00 and 6:00, Monday to Thursday” explains Rosie Laws, a youth worker from Close House. “There’s a lot of things going on, we do lots of projects including multimedia and music. We also do Learning Power Awards, getting young people qualifications without necessarily having to go to college.”
“Everything’s going very well so far, everyone has been very welcoming”
Having fun is essential to the success of the Close House. But, as Rosie points out, there is a more serious undertone to what they do. “A lot of the time we play pool, table-football and Nintendo Wii, which is great fun, but at the same time we talk and engage with the young people in a positive way because a lot of them may not have had a lot of continuity in their lives.”
Close House also seems to encourage interaction between ordinarily disparate social groups. “In here ‘chavs’ and ‘emos’ just get on. That’s the kind of engagement that we encourage at Close House” Rosie enthuses.
And it seems that her enthusiasm is rubbing off on the young people that visit. There is a buzz about the place and a sense that everyone present is welcome. Lisa Morris, on her second day at Close House gushes “Everything’s going very well so far, everyone has been very welcoming.”
Get involved:
Open sessions - every Monday to Thursday between 1.00pm and 6.00pm. All young people between the ages of 13 and 25 are welcome to join our growing community.
Close House also runs a number of closed sessions for specific groups. We currently run three groups, the first being for young people in recovery from mental health issues, the second offering support for young people in Aftercare (looked after system) and the third being a music group for young people interested in learning to play music in bands. Details of these groups are available by contacting Close House.
Get in touch :
Tel: 01432 274239
Drop by :
In Commercial Street there is an alley way next to 'The Works' Bookshop. This leads to Gilbies Wine Bar on the left and Close House which is at the top of the alley on the right, next to the rear of St Peters Church.
