Portishead Youth Centre
Portishead Youth Centre has come a long way since it first opened in 1966.
A youth club was founded in the town in 1961, in a High Street building close to Ferndale Road, but so high was demand for its services, that the club moved to a purpose built youth centre on the junction of Harbour Road and Station Road in 1966. The centre was built as a partnership between the local authority, Portishead Urban District Council and Portishead Youth Club Management Committee.
Portishead Youth Centre is on the same site today, but over the years it has benefitted from extensions and extensive modernisation.
The building and the services offered within it continued to be funded by the local authority and in 2011 it received a million pound makeover, making it one of the most envied youth centres in the country. However, shortly after the refurbishment, North Somerset Council withdrew its funding for general youth work across the whole region, making the staff redundant and leaving Portishead Youth Centre’s trustees in a quandary.
Offering a professional youth service to the young people of Portishead had proved invaluable over the years and in our fast moving world it was apparent the need was even greater in the 21st century. The qualified staff and charitable trustees were determined a youth service would continue in Portishead, even without its main funding source.
The trustees formed a Company Limited by Guarantee, a not-for-profit company and have since, with the help of a committed staff, grant aid, donations and a full day-time programme at the centre, ensured that youth work continues to be provided in the town.
The building is now owned by Portishead Town Council and is leased to Portishead Youth Centre Ltd which ensures the building meets the needs of the young people and the wider community of Portishead.
The centre is used for the whole community from babies to senior citizens, with profits from its numerous daytime activities and hall hire, contributing towards the provision of a youth service to support young people. So, those who pop in for a coffee, enjoy lunch in The Café, take their children to Soft Play, attend groups and classes and those who choose to have their children’s birthday party at the centre, are all supporting this multi-purpose centre and are enabling the continuation of youth work in Portishead.
In 2016 the youth centre held many celebration events to mark its 50 year anniversary. The Gordano Society also published a Posset Pieces history book documenting 50 years of Portishead Youth Centre. This is available from Summit Outdoor Leisure, adjacent to Aldi's carpark in Wyndham Way, Portishead, or from Sandy Tebbutt on Tel: 01275 843566.
Portishead Youth Centre
1 Harbour Road, Portishead BS20 7DD
Tel: 01275 842461
For more information, visit the Youth Centre website or email the manager.
The also have an Instagram page and Kimberley Jones runs their Facebook page.