South London Kids Turn to Chicken Shops as Youth Club Stays Closed
Local children in Stockwell are left without a youth club, leading them to gather in chicken shops instead
Stockwell, London, Youth Clubs, Community Centre, Lambeth Council
Stockwell: Kids are hanging out in chicken shops because there’s no youth club around. A community center nearby is just sitting there, locked up. Nickie Bell, a local campaigner, is urging Lambeth Council to let volunteers use the building in Larkhall Park for activities.
In Stockwell West and Larkhall, nearly one in three kids come from low-income families. Many live in big estates nearby and don’t have their own outdoor spaces to play.
The community center, known as the One O’clock Club, has been empty since last summer when a charity stopped running events there. Nickie and others want the council to lease it to them for a low rent so they can start programs for local kids.
Stockwell has a lot of estates, including The Spurgeon estate. But despite their efforts, Nickie and her team feel ignored. They found out the council plans to charge commercial rent for the building, which is way out of their budget.
Nickie, who helps run the Friends of Larkhall Park, said, “There’s nowhere for kids to go. They end up at chicken shops because that’s where they can hang out. We have dedicated youth workers ready to help. If the council gave us the building for a low rent, we could do so much good.”
She mentioned that the council had previously given similar buildings to other groups for free. The Friends of Larkhall Park want to run daily play sessions for little ones and offer activities like coffee mornings and sports for teens.
Ben Rhymer, another local advocate, pointed out that there are five big estates around the park, and the need for a community hub is huge. “About 35,000 people live within a mile, and the building used to be very popular,” he said.
Ida Turner, a local resident, echoed this need, saying the area lacks a proper community space. She noted that a free kids’ tennis club has to keep its gear in a bin store when it rains because there aren’t enough facilities.
Lola Oloyede, who runs a group for kids and young adults in Lambeth, said she’s turning kids away from events every day because the demand is so high. She’s also trying to raise funds to keep their programs running.
Lambeth Council was contacted for a comment but hadn’t responded by the time this was published.
Additional reporting by Francesca Rapisarda