In 1889, 2 Church Leaders and 3 Industrialists decided they needed to
help improve the lives of young people and so, in Bark Street in Bolton, they opened a Club that would open every evening from 7pm to 9:30pm and provided a place to wash & eat, as well as provide a reading room, gymnasium and a games room that offered football, cricket, swimming, chess club, and wood turning.  At the official opening, the then Bishop of Manchester, Dr Moorhouse reflecting the fact that this part of the country seemed to be covered with houses and without open spaces for breathing commended to the Clubs founders that: "they could do no greater service to a youth than to give opportunities for healthy outdoor exercise".  An extract from the Club Review showed just how quickly the Club became popular: “They came in their hundreds……..they came to meet their fellows under conditions somewhat more comfortable and convenient than their natural meeting place in the street…….they initially came for amusement and for games and for nothing else, but if we had
told them it was our intention to improve them they would certainly not have come at all!  But it is interesting how quickly their attitude to the Club has changed, it is no longer our Club, it is theirs, and we merely manage it for them. It is no longer a place of mere amusement, but a place which plays a real part in their lives, a place for honour and success.”

130 years later, little has change – well OK, then main club now operates out of new premises (opened in 2002), and we have established 2 satellite clubs plus a full size all weather football pitch to support numerous outdoor sports, and we have many more forms of targeted youth services available, but the ethos of the club remains the same – providing somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to.

The story however, does not end here as in 2006, Bill Holroyd whilst
serving as the Bolton Lads & Girls Club Chairman, realised that other towns and cities up and down the country needed their own clubs and so he founded OnSide, a Charity that would facilitate the opening of bright and shiny new clubs – to date including BLGC there are some 15 Youth Zones open and many more in the process of opening.  And it is to celebrate this achievement that 2 cyclists from each Youth Zone have been challenged to ride from Carlisle to Croydon, visiting all 15 Youth Zones en-route.  The challenge takes place at the end of October when it’s very likely to be raining (a-lot!) and the plan will see the rider’s complete close to 500 miles in just 5 days.  Plus, as I am from Bolton where everything stated, I’m electing to start at OnSide/Bolton Lads & Girls club the day before and ride up to Carlisle first.

As well as celebrating, we are also using this opportunity to try and raise
some money.  Whilst true that the model for each new Youth Zone that opens is still based/rooted in the model that BLGC owes its success to, the whole Network has been learning and improving and indeed
as each new Youth Zone opens, continual improvements are being made – in particular in the way the buildings are constructed and fitted out.  The challenge of this learning has not gone un-noticed at Bolton Lads & Girls Club and so a very ambitious program of refurbishments and improvements is currently being undertaken so that the task
of supporting our youth can be improved and developed to ensure that BLGC will be around for the next 130 years.

As always, you should know that every penny you donate goes directly to the club as all the costs for completing the ride have been covered.  I know also that this is may not be my first “ask” this year for support that you have received, and of course I would not expect anyone to give twice.  However the opportunity to help promote OnSide and the great work that they do was an opportunity I did not want to miss as both a rider (who likes to challenge himself) but also as a supporter and believer in what Bolton Lads & Girls Club & Onside via the Network
of other Youth Zones actually does.  If you want to know more then do please visit the following web sites:

https://www.onsideyouthzones.org/

https://boltonladsandgirlsclub.co.uk/

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