Sheffield Double Six members praise youth club's role as 'second home'

A youth club in South Yorkshire which has just been awarded a £1.5m cash boost is a "second home" for many youngsters, its members have said.

Sheffield's Double Six club recently won the money from the Youth Investment Fund, meaning a much needed refurbishment can go ahead.

The funding will also secure the club's long-term future, according to organisers.

BBC News has been down to the club on Scarsdale Road in Woodseats to find out exactly what it means to the young people who will benefit.

On a cold, damp evening in early March, dozens of children queue down the road leading to the Double Six Youth Club.

By all accounts, it's a common sight here three times a week, as the cold, echoey church hall is transformed into a fun-filled club.

Young people aged between eight and 18 are welcomed into this safe space where they can play games and socialise with each other.

Perhaps surprisingly, there is not one mobile phone in sight as the kids became engrossed in their activities - it is almost like going back in time.

In fact, the youth club has been part of this community since 1966 and nothing much has changed.

After all, it still clearly plays an important part in young people's lives here.

Ruby, 18, a member and a volunteer at the Double Six, says coming here has helped improve her mental health.

"Youth club's really important to me because it's helped me out of a very dark place in my life," she tells me.

"It's like a second family to me. It's helped me make friends."

"I actually leave my house and find the time to socialise now," she adds.

"I'm more confident and it's helped me overcome many mental health issues."

Rio, also 18, and a member and volunteer at the Double Six, says he has been coming to the club for 11 years now.

He tells me that it is like a "second home" to him and to others.

"It helps a lot of young people through lots of different times in life," he says.

"I lost my dad to cancer when I was really young, but the youth workers here have given me that male role model I didn't have."

Rio says he has also been given "a lot of opportunities that I wouldn't have had" if he had not come to the club.

Those have included "trips, meeting new people, and just overall having a good time".

The club also runs a "Girls' Night" once a week, with Stef running the session.

She says the nights are "a unique opportunity" for girls in the area.

She tells me that areas of the club usually used by the boys for sports or video games can be more easily accessed by the girls during the sessions.

Meanwhile, there is also space to discuss particular topics that affect their confidence and self-esteem.

Richard Hay has been the youth club leader at the Double Six for the past 26 years.

He tells me he used to come here as a boy, so he appreciates how crucial the club is for young people.

"It means a lot to me. I used to come here as a young person from the age of 11. I could access the youth club any night of the week," he says.

However, he adds that "slowly, surely" other similar clubs have disappeared.

"I think it's really important we keep youth clubs and spaces for young people going.

"It's so important for young people to have access to a space that's theirs and also to trained youth workers."

With the refurbishment work on the old building in which the Double Six Youth Club is housed set to take up to eight months, the club will have to relocate for a while.

But Richard tells me that will be a small price to pay.

"It's really important this funding is going to be future-proofing the youth club for the next 50 years for the community, the young people and further generations to come," he says.

"It just makes such a difference to Woodseats and the surrounding areas."

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