Lancet Jades
03-04-2004, 09:31 PM
Bar with no beer for youngsters?
A "BAR" serving youngsters everything but alcohol could be opened in Worthing to "give kids something to do".
David Moore hopes the venue will be a popular meeting place and will reduce the problems associated with youngsters hanging around on the streets because they have nothing better to do.
He is looking for a suitable venue around the town and wants to know what local teenagers, aged 13 to 17, think of his plan.
"I think there is a huge demand for somewhere kids can go and listen to music, play pool and meet up," he said.
"What is there for kids to do around here? Nothing."
Mr Moore, from Yew Tree Close in Lancing, said similar "bars" had been opened in areas of Kent and were hugely successful, cutting incidents of vandalism and graffiti by almost 50 per cent.
The 37-year-old is even more keen to see through his idea since the Herald reported how the future of Sussex Police's SNAP discos for under 18s was looking bleak.
The monthly Say No and Phone event regularly attracts more than 1,000 young party-goers every month but is in danger of being axed completely because of health and safety concerns.
Mr Moore told the Herald: "All the people I have spoken to seem all for the idea. It will give them something to do, an alternative to just hanging around."
He said the project was still in the very early planning stages but he was looking to open the venue six nights a week and run it on a membership scheme.
He also hopes it would be a place where local bands could play.
Worthing police inspector Allan Lowe encouraged Mr Moore to write to him detailing the plans.
Inspector Lowe told the Herald: "We will happily consider any initiative which would reduce youth problems. However, the idea of a young persons' bar would have to be looked at very carefully due to the safety issues and the prospect of increasing disorder."
A "BAR" serving youngsters everything but alcohol could be opened in Worthing to "give kids something to do".
David Moore hopes the venue will be a popular meeting place and will reduce the problems associated with youngsters hanging around on the streets because they have nothing better to do.
He is looking for a suitable venue around the town and wants to know what local teenagers, aged 13 to 17, think of his plan.
"I think there is a huge demand for somewhere kids can go and listen to music, play pool and meet up," he said.
"What is there for kids to do around here? Nothing."
Mr Moore, from Yew Tree Close in Lancing, said similar "bars" had been opened in areas of Kent and were hugely successful, cutting incidents of vandalism and graffiti by almost 50 per cent.
The 37-year-old is even more keen to see through his idea since the Herald reported how the future of Sussex Police's SNAP discos for under 18s was looking bleak.
The monthly Say No and Phone event regularly attracts more than 1,000 young party-goers every month but is in danger of being axed completely because of health and safety concerns.
Mr Moore told the Herald: "All the people I have spoken to seem all for the idea. It will give them something to do, an alternative to just hanging around."
He said the project was still in the very early planning stages but he was looking to open the venue six nights a week and run it on a membership scheme.
He also hopes it would be a place where local bands could play.
Worthing police inspector Allan Lowe encouraged Mr Moore to write to him detailing the plans.
Inspector Lowe told the Herald: "We will happily consider any initiative which would reduce youth problems. However, the idea of a young persons' bar would have to be looked at very carefully due to the safety issues and the prospect of increasing disorder."