DURSLEY and Cam councils have agreed to a continued community youth work provision partnership with Stroud charity The Door.

Following a robust re-tendering process, the decision was made at the recent Dursley Town and Cam Parish Council meetings, following recommendations from the youth work steering committees.

The agreement to award The Door a new three-year contract starting in September, follows the delivery of its award-winning community youth work model based at The Vibe, Parsonage Street, and Cam Woodfield Centre, Frederick Thomas Road, which started in 2015.

Community youth work co-ordinator Kathleen Hanbury said: “We don’t have a 'programme-driven' approach to youth work, but make opportunities available to young people which respond quickly and effectively to the real situations they find themselves in. This relies on the team having built strong relationships with the young people to be ‘licensed’ by them to speak openly and honestly into their lives.”

Dursley mayor Cllr Neil Grecian said: “I am very pleased that The Door Youth Project have successfully re-tendered for this opportunity, the joint youth project with Cam Parish Council has proved very successful over the last three years. The youth sessions continue to be very popular for the young people of Dursley and Cam. We received three quality bids for the youth service opportunity and I am confident the young people will continue to reap the benefit of the quality service provided by The Door Youth Project.”

Cam Cllr Miranda Clifton added: “We are pleased that the young people of Cam will continue to benefit from the excellent and varied work which The Door has been doing for the past three years. We look forward to our youth club growing from strength to strength, with the young people both enjoying and learning from the opportunities provided.”

The Door is a Stroud-based charity, established in 1991, which provides centre and street based youth work for 11-25-year-olds across the Stroud District, working with around 800 young people per year.

There are a wide variety of activities happening in and around the Dursley and Cam area, including things to do during the summer holidays.

For up-to-date details see thedoor.org.uk or facebook.com/thedoorstroud.