Belfast children 'deserve better' as youth club wrecked during Storm Bert

Youth workers have called on local politicians and the Department for Education to be aware of conditions children and young people are having youth provisions in.

Ardoyne Youth Club has been forced to close their club on Monday night, to begin work to recover the building after serious damage over the weekend. Storm Bert battered the region, with flooding reported across the country - that heavy rainfall soon found its way inside the youth facilities in North Belfast.

In 2019, Belfast Live revealed the major plans for a new £2million youth club for Ardoyne Youth Club - that new club is yet to happen and those who work within the club, and use its services have continued to push for answers today, as young people sweep up the mess from the weekend.

READ MORE: Belfast community's frustration at "years without progress" on new youth centre

Planning permission was granted for a new club in 2019, after the club was awarded funding from the Department of Education to develop a new youth centre building on the current site. The current building they are in was to be demolished.

Speaking to Belfast Live, Joe McNeill said: "The state of the club on Saturday morning was awful and it is due to inefficient foundations at the club and internal drainage problems. Luckily, we had our young people in to give a hand clearing up.

"We were promised money from the Department for Education in 2013, and our building is still left like this. These problems will continue to happen unless people are held accountable.

"I am highlighting this because it means councillors, MLAs, politicians and the Department can be held accountable and for them to understand the kind of conditions children and young people are expected to have youth provision in, in Ardoyne. It is an absolute disgrace. Now it's on to the people we have elected into positions of power to make a difference."

Sharing a video of the damage, which shows the youth club completely flooded, a post on Ardoyne Youth Club's Facebook page said: "This was Ardoyne Youth Club yesterday. Yet again, our old deteriorated building has let us down. The outdated internal drainage system felt the impact of storm Bert, and this was the consequences.

"We have to replace floors, dry out skirting, throw water damaged equipment out so the financial implications are frightening. I want to thank our amazing senior lads and volunteers who worked tirelessly all morning along with staff to help get rid of the flood water. Ardoyne is a real special community .

"Once again, this highlights then need for our new build project which was granted by Department of Education NI to get started ASAP. Children and young people of Ardoyne deserve better than this.

"Share this please and tag people in a position of influence who can help get young people of Ardoyne the building they were promised 11 years ago."

Independent councillor Paul McCusker also shared frustrations at the environment at which Ardoyne Youth Club is having to host children from.

"Absolute disgrace, I have wrote to the department for education on a few occasions and the AYC have been met with empty promises," he added.

"This is an issue that needs dealt with by local MLAs, failure from Stormont to address the needs of young people in Ardoyne."

Belfast Live contacted the Department for Education for a comment.

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