Club and council to rescue at Malvern

A COUNTY youth caf that supplies Malvern youngsters with sex education has been thrown a £5,000 lifeline.

Moira Jayne's Youth Caf opens for three-and-a-half days a week and hosts weekly surgeries focusing on sex education, paid for by Worcestershire Health Authority and provided by staff from Worcestershire County Council's youth service.

The caf's trustees say numbers of young people seeking advice are growing.

But the building, in Church Street, has been closed for several weeks because of a lack of cash to pay the £5,000 lease on the property.

Although the Trustees of Moira Jayne's have secured £110,000 of National Lottery money, to be paid out over three years, they had been told to secure the £5,000 before the grant was released.

Malvern Lions and Worcestershire Health Authority have pledged £4,000 and Malvern Town Council has agreed to find the further £1,000 needed.

The authority will pay £500 before the end of the financial year and another £500 after April.

"The town already suffers from a lack of youth facilities and it would be devastating if the caf had to close permanently," said the Mayor of Malvern, David Williams, who had been contacted by the Trustees..

"Malvern Town Council is committed to supporting and encouraging community initiatives and this is an excellent example of how good partnership work can benefit the whole community."

Jenny Lawrence, who helped to found Moira Jayne's Youth Cafe eight years ago, had appealed to the town council for £1,000 to help re-open the cafe.

"I'm delighted the council has agreed to support the project," she said.

"MJ's not only provides a safe environment for youngsters, but also acts as a valuable venue for counselling services for young people with many problems."