Youth clubs: Youth clubs to '50s kids were a godsend

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Back in the 1950s, Derby was bristling with youth clubs. Marilyn Clampitt had a choice of at least three within walking distance of her home in the West End. They were places where youngsters loved to congregate to listen to pop music, play sport and possibly meet their future partners in life – as Marilyn, of Alvaston, describes here.

VANDALISM – this word would have sounded like a pop group to us kids around the West End in the 1950s.

You would see the odd writing on the walls in some areas, such as “John loves Pat” or “Tony fancies Jenny”. All harmless fun and done in chalk, not paint or aerosols like today’s children use.

I think boredom is the key to some of the things that make today’s kids do what they do, although that’s no excuse for bad behaviour. We were very fortunate to have a choice of youth clubs to go to in the 50s, something which I feel is badly needed today.

Most schools do not run youth clubs like the ones we were able to go to – and we had a choice.

My favourite was Ashgate School’s youth club. My friends and I would flock there several times a week, all merrily participating in the fun and games that were on offer. Great music was usually played, blaring out from a record player in the corner.

Songs from the likes of Del Shannon, Cliff Richard, Buddy Holly and my favourite, the great Eddie Cochran, would entice us girls on to the dance area, where we would all dance round our handbags piled in the middle, each girl hoping that the school’s heart-throb would ask them for a dance.

Names like Kenny Keys, John Blow, Frank Deley, F Hogkinson, Phil Sadler, Brian Hinckley spring to mind. (Where are you now, boys?)

Football and netball were also played, with friendly matches against other youth clubs such as Derwent, Firs Estate, Southgate and so on.

I loved going over to Derwent youth club at Chaddesden. Walking across Chester Green and the racecourse from my home in Nuns Street did not seem far at all when you were with your mates – friends such as Sue Parker, Bet Robinson, Jean Pritchard, Barbara Hill and Maureen Brown. (Sadly, Barb and Maureen have passed away recently).

Derwent youth club had a large gym where they played basketball – something, if I recall, not played at Ashgate.

I loved watching basketball. The determination of the players to get goals was exciting to watch.

Despite the fact that we girls had our own favourite lad back at Ashgate, we also secretly had our favourites at Derwent. Names like the lovely Eric Harrison, Pete Smith/Cornwall, the Parker brothers – Ben and Karl – and Tim Sharrett, all from the Chaddesden area, come to mind.

Youth clubs in the 50s were a godsend to us kids round the West End, not just for the camaraderie among friends but for the entertainment.

There was no television in the Yeomans’ household for us four girls (Susan, Wendy, Beryl and myself) until I was 15 years old, so I loved going up to Ashgate.

Mam and dad, Gladys (nee Needham) and Horace Yeomans did not mind me going there because it was not far from our home.

But there was no coming home late. Woe betide me if I was any later than 9.30pm and that was when I was 14 or 15 – unlike today’s kids who seem to roam round at all times of the night, whatever their age, getting up to mischief.

Brook Street Chapel held a youth club in the schoolrooms in Lodge Lane. This I frequented with my sister, Susan, and cousins John and Alan Snow, also of Nuns Street, and the Wilkinson family of Brook Street.

My sister, Sue, reminded me of the drinks of Oxo and biscuits they used to give us. They were a lovely group of people who used to run the club but, I must confess, I liked the raucousness of Ashgate and Derwent, which was also just a stone’s throw from our home.

I loved walking home from Ashgate, especially back down Mackworth Road with my friends, even in the dark winter months when the trees made ghostly sounds and strange shadows crossed the pavements and roads.

You could not let your kids do that today, due to muggings, perverts, stalkers and paedophiles roaming about – words that I had never heard of in my teens.

I wish schools of today could have the clubs of my youth. Perhaps if there were more of them, there would not be the vandalism there is today.