By Anna Patton
When a group of Broadstairs mums set up a youth club 20 years ago, they soon realised they’d underestimated the demand.
“The day we opened, we had 120 children turn up – and it was snowing,” recalls the group’s leader Victoria Suchak.
This volunteer-driven effort soon became The Zone Youth Club, now staffed by trained youth workers and offering several sessions a week.
Youngsters still turn up, come rain or shine. But today’s weather extremes mean new challenges. On the first day of the summer holiday club in July, during the UK’s fourth heatwave of the year, young people stayed in the shade instead of running around as normal.
Victoria said: “They’re missing out on playing, because it’s too hot. It’s too hot to do anything.”
At first the Zone Youth Club was housed in a church hall. When an opportunity arose to take on a small, run-down sports pavilion in St Peter’s Recreation Ground, Victoria jumped at the chance, successfully raising £25,000 to renovate it.
Inside there is a small kitchen and space for crafts, playing pool or hanging out on beanbags. But the real draw is the space outside – perfect for football, rounders, dodgeball and more. Because it’s open and flat, older youngsters can wander freely without disappearing from sight. “We love it here,” says Victoria.
Zone Youth Club is one of the only open-access, free youth clubs in the area. Broadstairs is often seen as well-off, but it contains areas that are among the country’s most deprived, says Victoria, where families are “really struggling”.
Less than half of children and young people in England meet the recommended level of an hour a day on average of physical activity, and those from the least affluent families are the least likely to be active, according to Sport England. But, says Victoria, “all children deserve the right to play, don’t they? Regardless of their background, to have a youth club just up the road is vital.”
Young people tell her that they would otherwise be sitting at home on their phones. Here, there is no Wi-Fi and they’re encouraged to put down their phones and pick up a paintbrush or a cricket bat instead.
Sport has multiple benefits for youngsters, says youth worker Harry Grafton. “It increases your confidence, it increases your social skills… and then loads of things branch off that,” he says.
During the heatwaves he has been adapting sessions, from choosing games where falling is less likely because the ground is rock-hard, to insisting on sunscreen and frequent breaks for a drink.
“When you’re running around, you’ve got that adrenalin… you don’t even realise you’re getting burnt or you’re hot until you stop,” he says.
This year the club created its first ‘sun policy’ to help staff monitor risks. It has bought stocks of sunscreen and UV-sensitive wristbands that turn from white to purple to signal when sun protection is needed.
Victoria added: “We need to think about keeping them in the shade, just thinking about different activities where they’re not having to run around in the sunshine, which is such a sad thing to have to say.
“We’re here because we’ve got this beautiful field for children to play in, and we’re now having to think: what can we do inside or in the shade, which is less fun.”
Heat adds another level of responsibility onto youth workers. But it is not the only weather worry. Heavy rain brings a risk of flooding, because the park slopes gently down towards the building.
“The last time it rained really heavily, it was right up to the step. I was ready with my broom,” says Victoria.
She is concerned about the continued effects of climate change but is unsure what she can do about it. She considered solar panels, but as the building is single-storey it would be difficult to secure these – even if the charity could find the money for installation.
For now, she has bought a cheap air conditioning unit. “There’s extra costs that we hadn’t really anticipated,” she says.
The general lack of provision for young people is a broader concern, especially since Kent County Council cut youth service funding in 2024.
“It’s down to the likes of us to provide something for the kids, and we have to fight for that money,” says Victoria. “It’s a worry when you can see the need and you can’t meet it. We’re one tiny, tiny building in Broadstairs.”
