ALTHOUGH Dorset County Council’s youth service was disbanded in August last year, the community of Uploders/Loders and surrounding villages has pulled together to ensure that Loders Youth Club can continue.

It does so on a totally voluntary basis with long-established leaders Tina Cornish and Rachel Nokes using equipment and facilities built up over the last 40 years.

They also have a reliable team of helpers, both adults and senior members doing their community/Duke of Edinburgh awards.

They meet in Loders village hall, purpose built in the Millennium with lottery funding.

The club prides itself on providing its 70 or so members with weekly meetings most of the year providing activities volunteers believe will set them up to become mature, creative and responsible members of society.

Mrs Cornish said: "This involves sports, arts and crafts, kitchen activities, games and construction, science and environmental activities, cultural and just pure-fun outings/trips and acting/dancing/musical performances."

To prove their point members held a talent contest on Friday.

Mrs Cornish added: "Every participant gained in self-confidence and had that adrenalin-rush/the feel good factor that comes from delivering a well practised act and an appreciative audience of family, friends and villagers and with all bravery/participation recognised with prizes and certificates."

The judges were Viv Wilkes from The Spyway Inn, who has choral experience, together with David Tozer and Kathy Smith from the Wessex Military Band.

Mrs Cornish said: "It was a hard choice in a few categories but they all commented on the quality of the acts and the stage presence that some as young as 10 years had. The acts were so diverse – ranging from mime/acting and comedy to song-writing."

The results were:

Best band and song-writing act:Noah Scott-Sentance, Gus Gowrie, Sam Melville and Archie Melville. This group also won the overall ‘X’-factor trophy for the act which shone above all others and had the “wow” factor.

Best junior alternative act: Jess Boylin who did a mime/act to “My Old Man’s a Dustman” dressed half-sidedly as the son and half-sidedly as the father dustman, changing sides as the song dictated!

Junior singing category:Lucy Readings

Noah Scott-Sentance took 1st prize for his Spanish Guitar improvisation with second place awarded to Gus Gowrie on Drums and third place to Dylan Gowrie for his keyboarding.

Senior category: Gracie O’Brien and Amber Puddy for their dance, Joe Thorpe for his flute performance without music, Llwelyn Rendall-Davies for a comedy performance which received much cheering and Abigail Lincoln for singing followed by her younger sister Fran who took second place.

The event was possible due to funding from Loders Young Players, a Loders charity that supports young people with sports and the arts, and parental donations, with a raffle covering the remainder.

Mrs Cornish, who was awarded an MBE for her 40 years running the club, said she wanted to thank all contributors - participants, audience, donators, parents and friends who supported, Chuck Willmott for volunteering as technician, Rachel Nokes for ensuring that everything ran smoothly together with Tom Swatridge, Lesley Lee and Tracy and Keith Readings for their practical assistance.