An ‘important voice’ for the town’s youth and community centre is stepping down from her role as chairman.

Ros Kayes, who took the lead on creating the ‘flourishing’ Bridport Youth and Community Centre (BYCC) it is today after the former Dorset County Council cut funding to youth centres in 2016, will no longer be chairman or board member of the centre’s trust.

She said: “I’ve stepped down due to other commitments that are non-Bridport based and as BYCC is going through an intensive and very creative phase in the next 12 months, it’s appropriate that someone who can be more hands on takes the helm.

“We have several new trustees with great skills who will lead the centre forward and I’d like to thank both them and the other trustees, who, like me, were there at the start but have also stepped down to move onto other things.

“The centre has achieved a lot in its short time as a charitable trust - achieving more than 150 members of junior youth club within four weeks of starting this new facility last September being just one of them. It’s also become a great place to hire rooms for parties, conferences and meetings.

“I hope the public will continue to support it, which they can do through joining the Hundred Club online." 

Kelvin Clayton, the current acting chairman of trustees, praised Ros for all she has done for the centre. He said: “She has guided its growth for a youth centre to a thriving community centre with an enormously diverse range of activities.

“She threw herself into supporting the centre, from pizza evenings to selling raffle tickets, she stepped forward to help and yet was also an important voice for the centre at council meetings.

“She has decided to step down both as chairman and as a board member.

“The board and all the centre’s users thank her for all the hard work she has put into supporting and expanding the centre.”

Ros has left the centre in a good position to develop further, with plans for a community café for people to meet and socialise and to give children a good place to go after school.

Two other trustees have also left, Christine Turner and Jenny Lawrence. Some new trustees have also joined - Helen Farmer, Rory Armstrong, Sarah Bernsen and Les Keatley.

The team at the centre report that it is ‘flourishing’ and ‘buzzing with a huge variety of creative and worthwhile activities’. These include babies and toddler groups, a mental health support group for young people, B Sharp offering music making workshops, Bridport Bandits motor project, boxing and kick boxing, ariel skills, hip-hop classes, table tennis, walking football, a chance to learn sign language and much more.

Anyone who would like to help at the Bridport Youth and Community Centre should get in touch with the manager, Katrina Polanska, on 01308 422500 or email bridportycc@gmail.com