IN response to your story (‘Museum plan dashes drop-in centre hopes’) on Wednesday October 26 I would like to reassure your readers that St Neots is not without facilities or activities for young people.

We have an excellent youth centre at The Bargroves on Cromwell Road, and already offer a number of activities every week including:

Young people’s drop-in (Mondays, Wednesdays 1.30-4.30pm and Thursdays 1.30-6pm) for support with job search, CVs, benefits and more.

Street sports (Thursdays 3.30-4.30pm at St Neots Leisure centre small astro) for young people aged 10-19.

Coffee bar (Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 3.10-5.15pm and 7-9.15pm at Ernulf Academy coffee bar) for young people in year 7-plus.

Kimbolton Youth Club (Thursdays 6.30-8.30pm at Mandeville Hall, Kimbolton) for young people aged 10-19.

When possible we run holiday activities (eg Proud 2 B Loud and Fun 4 Teens) and would very much welcome ideas and support to do more.

We already have good links with other agencies including police, CASUS, DIAL, Paines Mill, St Neots Learning Partnership, Huntingdonshire Community Safety Partnership and Huntingdonshire District Council, and are keen to include them in our work to offer advice and support to the young people of St Neots.

Your readers will be aware that local authority funding for youth clubs has been reduced over the last year but we would love our facilities to be more widely used. Were the town council able to allocate to us some of the funds previously intended for the New Street facility, we would be delighted and would then be able to extend our opening hours.

Anyone able to support us with ideas or as a volunteer is most welcome to contact me.

DARRYL McMURRAY

Youth development co-ordinator

St Neots locality team

Cambridgeshire County Council