‘Hope and relief’ as seaside town’s last youth centre saved

The last remaining youth centre in one of England’s most deprived coastal places has been saved from being sold after a long campaign by the charity that has for 13 years called it home.In November the Guardian revealed how the centre in Ramsgate on the Kent coast was facing being auctioned off by Kent-county-council" class="entity-link entity-organization" data-entity-id="8648" data-entity-type="organization">Kent County Council, despite an independent report that estimated the centre was saving the council more than £500,000 a year in costs, including for services in mental health, youth justice and social care.Pie Factory Music, the charity that is based in the youth centre, has for many years provided a social space for eight- to 25-year-olds, but also offers services including counselling, employment advice, life-skills sessions, assistance for young refugees, and creative and music projects.After a campaign that started in September 2024, Pie Music Factory has been able to buy the freehold of Ramsgate youth centre. This was partly thanks to a grant of £535,000 from Labour’s Pride in Place strategy, which aims to put significant investment into deprived communities across the country.Zoë Carassik says youth provision should not depend on charities alone and called for strengthening statutory protections for youth services. Photograph: Polly Braden/The Guardian“Knowing our future in the building is secure fills us with hope and relief,” said Pie’s chief executive, Zoë Carassik. “We are deeply grateful to the Pride in Place programme and everyone who has helped us.”However, she said that the government’s Youth Matters national strategy, which it announced at the end of last year, needed to come with real investment and “not just words” to stop this happening elsewhere.“We should never have had to campaign to save Ramsgate youth centre – the last dedicated youth centre in the area – in the first place,” she said. “This must not happen again.“Youth provision should not depend on charities like us alone. That’s why we urge local MPs and the communities minister to go further in strengthening statutory protections for youth services and review councils’ statutory duty to provide youth services,” she said.A report released last year by the YMCA revealed a 73% decline in funding for youth services in England and a 6% year-on-year decline in Wales between 2010 and 2024. In August Labour announced it would invest £88m in youth clubs and after-school activities.The Guardian visited Ramsgate as part of its Against the tide series, which is exploring the reality behind research that shows young people in deprived coastal areas are three times more likely to be living with an undiagnosed mental health condition than their peers in equivalent places inland. A further report by University College London found the lack of youth services and spaces was a significant problem in coastal towns.Brian Horton, interim chair of the Ramsgate Neighbourhood Board, which signed off the grant to Pie, said: “The board is making a clear statement: we are committed to providing safe, positive spaces for the next generations to thrive.”