Meet Up’s Summer Activities

“I wish we could stay here forever as I love it here."

Meet Up, our Youth and Family Centre on Thetford’s Redcastle Furze Estate, is one of our youth provision and community services. During the summer, young people enjoyed a range of activities providing them with learning and social opportunities and new experiences. Youth Worker Ali explains:

“We have enjoyed trips to Cherry Tree Farm which our Yr 4’s, 5’s and 6’s really loved. Cherry Tree Farm is a small petting farm based in Methwold, Thetford with goats, pigs, llamas, small ponies, guinea pigs, birds and rabbits. Our young people loved interacting with the animals and stroking them and being able to hold some of them. A few of our young people had never held an animal before so it was a new experience for them.

We also did two day trips to Walberswick where the young people had a go at crabbing in the morning, which most of our young people had never done before and really enjoyed it. In the afternoons we took our young people to the beach. We were blessed with amazingly beautiful sunny weather and it was a joy to see our young people paddling and having fun in the sea. For quite a few of our young people they don’t get to experience days out like this so it was really special and lovely for them. One young man said “I wish we could stay here forever as I love it here”.

We had a number of free activities at the Meet Up centre, which included a performance by Magic Floor Productions called Cable and Homes. This is the true story about Henry Cable and Susan Homes who were convicted at Thetford Assizes in 1784 and then gaoled at Norwich Castle. The families that attended really enjoyed learning about the history of Thetford.

On the evening of 23^rd August we held a Paranormal Investigation evening by a local team who do this professionally. This was held for our Yr 7’s plus. Our young people were genuinely excited and really enjoyed this different evening of spooky goings on. Meet Up has quite a long history and these walls have seen many people come and go over the years.

On Monday afternoons throughout August we held our free Family Fun Afternoons. Over the four sessions we welcomed 28 adults and 31 young people. These afternoons proved to be a great success with families and gave the young people the opportunity to have fun and have a large area to play in.  We provided a free lunch for all the young people that attended. It also gave a chance for parents, adult members of Meet Up (including our senior citizens), young people and toddlers time to socialise with others and get out of the house for a little while.

Throughout the summer we worked with 70 young people and 18 adults on trips and activities. In total we have worked with 82 individual young people 27 adults.

It has been a fun Summer and has really flown by and all of the young people that attended had a great time and we have seen their confidence, self esteem and resilience grow as a result of the activities we have provided. Thank you to everybody who has made the Meet Up activities possible, including the Garfield Weston Foundation and Hopestead, providing valuable opportunities for new experiences for the young people we support.”

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