If You Build It They Will Come

Sylvia continued,
“The Youth Club also ran a Senior Citizens Christmas party that was paid for out of the club’s funds. It was like high tea and the kids prepared and served it. In those days the visitors were elderly, but it got to the stage where the helpers were older than them! The Ratepayers then took over organising it.”

“I can’t remember our own minibus. When Dave was around, he could always borrow one from other groups and that’s how we got around.”

Things were looking up. By the Spring of 1978 Ron Stenson, asked the whole village to get behind the club and help organise and fundraise to build a club. Land had been allocated on the corner of Outwood Road and Wilmslow Road for a building, with a recreation ground and a path running from Queensway to Outwood Road across the fields   .

After 2 years since the club opened, the members had raised £3000 towards the cost of their own place. In November 1978 there would be house to house collections so that all residents could help contribute. The recurring plea for helpers, particularly men, continued   . I am not sure what went on at the public hall disco on a Wednesday night, but the
Ratepayers were keen to advise residents that the Monday club had no connection to it!!    .

By Spring of 1979, the total for the house-to-house collection was announced as having raised £377, taking the total to £4500. Guess what…. helpers are still being asked for    . A” Mile of Pennies'' fundraiser by the members, outside the village shops in September 1979, had raised £92. Fundraising events were to continue. Ron Stenson pleaded for helpers again and also stated that the quicker the funds were raised, the quicker that would free up the public hall for other users    . An appeal was also put out for a television and a netball team trainer. Interestingly, the Club was working towards buying a minibus    .

In the Summer of 1980 Ron Stenson was still asking for more helpers and appealing to the parents to give up one Monday per month. For the youngsters to have their own building a huge fundraising initiative was coming. “This is no pipe dream but cold reality”    . Over the summer the club was awarded £500 from Stockport Lotteries for a 12-seater minibus    . In the Autumn another fundraiser “length of pennies” had raised £71.10. The Club now had the minibus and were using it to go to Cheadle Sports Centre on Wednesday and Saturday evenings for table tennis and badminton. Mr Ken Ralphs has stepped up to give his time   . By Christmas 1980, Betty Campbell oversaw the forming a Trust Fund for all money raised. The land details had been finalised. Cheadle Drill Hall on a Wednesday and Moseley School on a Saturday were being used for sporting activities    .

In Autumn 1982 land on Wilmslow Road between Queensway and Outwood Road, that had been kept aside to build a secondary school in Heald Green, was offered by the Council for housing development. Approximately 8 and a half acres would have 110 houses built on it. Four acres would remain as open space between the footpath and the school field    . This
was where the youth club was going to be built. Now in its 7th year, in the Winter 1982 issue of the Contact magazine, great news was advertised. The plot of land adjoining Outwood Road school had been levelled in August, as stage one of the plan for a club to be built there. However, the use of the future building would now no longer be just for the Youth Club and helpers were still needed to fundraise and help at the public hall    .

It seemed now that the plan was coming together. In Spring 1983 plans were being drawn up and estimations made for the building work. The hope was to have foundations laid in early 1984    . However, by the summer the doubt is cast yet again. There was an urgent appeal put out to all societies in the village to fundraise for the Youth Club, so that progress could be made. Money was being “wisely spent” on plans and bills of quantities. Perhaps it was becoming obvious that not only was there not enough money, but also there were not enough helpers to man a building 7 days and 7 nights every week    . The Club was lucky enough to receive a lottery panel award of £500 for architect fees    .

In July 1984 a meeting had been held at the Public Hall for residents to meet their local policeman. During the meeting both the police and villagers were concerned over the number of youngsters roaming the streets and causing trouble. They all believed that it would be of a huge benefit to everyone if a full-time youth club could be established. They were all left in no doubt though that funding a project came with enormous problems. Also, the present Youth Club, held only once a week, was still struggling for sufficient help    . Queries were raised about the fundraising. The Ratepayers made it clear that audited
accounts were kept and available at the AGM of the club. Fundraising and help were still needed to get the club built. Parents needed to help with this to curb vandalism, so that youths had activities worthwhile to do    .

By the Summer of 1985 outline planning permission had been renewed. The Ratepayers were now hoping for a community approach. The views of residents nearby would have to be sought and there was a great need for more support to actually run a purpose-built club. Councillor Burns asked for more time to be given to Heald Green by youth workers, as the village did not have a council run club    . Was the plan beginning to unravel? The parents of the children involved were still not helping, let alone anyone else.

In Spring 1986, Fletcher Estate residents (Viscount/Marquis Drive area) asked for the land around them to be cleaned up and the land where the youth club would be based, to be fenced    .  Sylvia said “Norman and I can’t remember when we left. My mother’s health had deteriorated, and it was becoming hard work. Dave Cooper gave us all advice at the beginning; enjoy it while you do it and give up when you don’t as your heart won’t be in it. The numbers dwindled down and down and of course you couldn’t get the helpers."

Norman was keen to point out,
“Stockport didn’t voluntarily give the land up. It was begrudgingly given up because the central and local government couldn’t fund the building. Heald Green Youth Club was like a money pit, throwing good money after bad especially with the amount of vandalism, and the advice to the Trustees in 1987 was to cut their losses and leave. The land when it was sold did go to a good cause, Johnnie Johnson Housing. We had nothing really for the elderly.”

By Winter 1988 a planning application to build homes for the elderly or handicapped was sent to the council for approval. This was the land designated for the youth club    . In Autumn 1990 planning permission was granted    . Deanwater Court and Deanwater Close were built.

So ended the reality for a youth club facility based in Heald Green for the children of Heald Green. Once the Handforth club had been built from the Council budget, there was nothing left for us. A valiant effort by all concerned should be acknowledged, but it was never going to be enough. The niggling aspect of who would take charge and run such a facility was
never far from the surface. The constant appeals for help seemed to fall on deaf ears and was really the final nail in the coffin for this project.

So what happened to Monday nights at the Public Hall? In Winter 1990 John Harrison wrote that he was testing the water to have a go at restarting a youth club. Yes you guessed it he was asking for volunteers to help!!! He stated that some years ago the club had been run by a small group of Heald Green residents who ran a successful club for several years. Unfortunately due to a lack of help it had been forced to close    . Ron Stenson, Stephen Day MP and Trustee Beryl Peate remained in charge of all the funds that had been allocated to the Youth Club. In 1999 meetings and correspondence decided on the future of the funds. They were to be handed over to the Ratepayers' committee to be used exclusively for the benefit of young people within Heald Green and Long Lane via the four churches    .