South Wales Evening Post - 5 September 2006
Fed-up Eastside youngsters have called for help to keep them off the streets after it emerged they have lost out on new sports premises. Youngsters said they had been dealt a bitter blow following the news that Swansea Council has decided to foot the bill for a new multi-use games area at Gendros Community Centre.
The youths claim there is nothing for them to do on their doorsteps.Fourteen-year-old Grenfell Park, St Thomas and Port Tennant Youth Forum spokesperson, Daniel Thomas, said: "The young people in the Eastside area are again losing out."
Congratulations to Gendros for getting funding but what is Swansea Council doing for us?
"The Eastside is classed as a deprived area but we are losing out.
"Our parks are being dug up and kids are being left to hang around the streets."
Darren Jones, board member of community regeneration group the GSP Partnership, said: "I absolutely agree with what our youth forum has said.
"Half of Maesteg Park has been turned into a building site for a new school
"While we value the building of the new St Thomas School, it has meant the loss of a much valued playing field.
"Also, Margaret Street Nursery, which has been a centre of community use for almost 40 years, is going to be sold off, probably to a developer."
Daniel added: "We need more youth provision in our area but it seems that what little we did have is being taken away.
"We want Margaret Street Nursery to remain as a community resource."We'd like to see a cyber cafe, we want a creche, we want activities for young people."
St Thomas councillor Alan Richards said: "The nursery could be a community facility, particularly for the GSP Partnership.''I will be pushing for that."We are very short of facilities and I'm sure the community could make good use of it."
