Off the streets and onto the dancefloor

Jul 21 2008 by Andrew Baldwin, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

As the summer school holiday starts many a youngster will make the grumble that there’s “nothing for me to do.” A new venture starting tomorrow aims to help ... in a town centre night club. ANDREW BALDWIN reports

PEOPLE often complain about youngsters hanging around on street corners, but don’t come up with any solutions to the situation.

Simon Goulding is different – he’s come up with an answer.

He’s starting a new under-18s night in a Huddersfield nightclub.

The night, which will be called Mini Mix, is aimed at 13 to 17-year-olds and even has its own web presence to make them feel more involved.

It will be a strictly no alcohol night aimed at giving the youngsters a chance to hang out with their friends for a few hours each week at the Camel Club, Byram Court.

Mini Mix will be held every Tuesday from 6pm to 9.30pm throughout the summer holidays, starting tomorrow.

Simon says: “What we are trying to do is give them somewhere safe and warm to hang-out with their mates, where they can have a really good time and where their parents don’t have to worry about what they are up to.

“It is going to be like a normal nightclub evening but with no alcohol on sale.

“We are providing them with a safe environment but also somewhere cool where they can have fun with their mates – that has to be more interesting than hanging around on the streets.

“We will have our normal door staff on duty and they will ensure that no alcohol is taken into the club and if anyone is suspected of drinking beforehand they will be denied entry.”

It’s a practical step to that eternal question: What do we do to relieve the boredom which many young people feel?

According to one report, more than 65% of young people feel there is not a lot to do to keep them occupied.

Not all of them want to join the Scouts or pop down to the youth club.

With under-age binge drinking often linked to youngsters not having anything to do or anywhere to go in the evenings, a disco seems something worth trying.

Entry to Mini Mix at the Camel Club is £5 and the music will be anything in the charts to dance party anthems.

Police and town hall officials have given their backing to the venture.

Simon will be the DJ under his stage name of Simon G.

He says: “We have started a Bebo site for the kids to join so there is a sense of community and also a myspace has been set up which has all the info for parents about how we are planning on making Mini Mix a safe and worry-free environment for both parents and our under 18s who attend the night.

“There is a lot of bad press involving the youth of today and we are hoping that Mini Mix will be a shining example that says not all kids are bad.

“Needless to say, we will be searching everyone coming to Mini Mix and if there is any trouble the police will be called. We are determined to make this a safe and fun night for everyone attending and if there is a small minority that are caught misbehaving they will be dealt with in the appropriate manner.

“The reason we are holding the night on a Tuesday is because Tuesday is the town’s quiet night. There will be less chance of the attendees of Mini Mix trying to get into anywhere else in town beforehand and there will also be less chance of them clashing with other people who may be under the influence of alcohol.

“It goes without saying that alcohol will be banned from Mini Mix and anyone who is suspected of having had alcohol will not be getting in to the club.”