Dove Centre given £12,000 grant from Sefton Council

A grant of £12,000 has been awarded to Dove Youth Club (formerly known as the Doves Nest) after some kitchen units fell off the wall and narrowly missed a helper.

Sefton Council awarded the Community Support Fund grant to the Youth Club, which usually raises its annual running costs of £22,000 through fundraising events and hiring out the hall.

The Chairman of the Trustee board, Angela Mockler, is one of only five staff members who work at the community centre.

She said: “This is actually the first grant we have ever received.

“It was last year we were holding a Lancashire hot-pot night when a cupboard fell of the wall and nearly took the head off someone helping at the time.

“I contacted the council and asked them was there any chance they could help us, as we are the last existing youth club in Formby.

“This is a massive, massive bonus for us.”

The club does a lot of fundraising to "keep [their] head just above water", but leaves no money for repairs and replacing old and broken furniture.

It was at their last fundraising event that the unit fell from the wall and smashed the work top, and as a precaution, the remaining three units have had to be propped up with messy dowelling.

There were other issues with the kitchen at the Dove Trust, including the fridge and cupboard doors constantly coming off, and their oven too small for the number of people they have, with the manager doing most of the baking at home and driving it to the Youth Club.

Angela, who was awarded an MBE for her services to youth work, has committed a lot of time and effort into keeping the club going, having been dedicated to the club for a long time.

She said: “It was set up by four churches in 1983 to provide a safe place for youths inFormby.

“My children, who are now in their 30s, went to the club when they were small, and I used to be the youth leader. Now I am trustee on the board, so I have come full circle really, from being a mum with kids there, to a leader and now chairman of the board.”

The Dove Centre can be found at....

The Dove Centre Formby Station Car Park Formby L37 2JF

The Dove Trust is a charitable organisation that is responsible for the running & management of the “Dove Centre” in Formby. They are a Registered Charity. Registered Charity Number is 513406.

Website.... www.dovecentreformby.co.uk