I am a typical 14 year old girl who has lived in Ruddington for almost all of my life, and I can honestly say that I absolutely love living here. It really does feel like home and I couldn’t have asked for a more friendly and welcoming village to grow up in.
I love wandering around the Country Park and down the footpath parallel to the train tracks, especially when the weather’s nice. Another thing I’m lucky to access are the coffee shops. Delicious places where I can get a coke and a brownie (or water if I’m skint!), and the chip shop is just a heavenly treat! The bus links to town are also something I’m fortunate to have, especially for someone like me, who loves shopping!
However, I am a teenager and from my point of view there is one thing that I think Ruddington is missing out on: a youth club. I used to attend the Thursday night youth club when I was at St Peter’s School. I really enjoyed hanging out with my friends and making new ones too. It also gave me a taste of independence, which I believe has benefited my social skills; therefore, I think it would be incredibly useful for the younger generation to have somewhere to develop these skills like I did.
Eventually, the youth club closed down. Project Body did actually start a new youth club, which didn’t last very long but also wasn’t as enjoyable as we hoped, as it felt as though it was a lot more sports-driven than the previous youth club. This understandably wasn’t everybody’s favourite thing to do; we just wanted somewhere relaxed with a variety of different activities for people with different interests.
My friend Ruby, 10, who also lives in Ruddington and would love to attend a youth club said, “It would be a safe place for me to hang out with people my age.” So where is our youth club? I really hope that someone out there can give Ruddington youth what they were promised.
Ruddy Teenager
Editor’s note: We’re always keen to hear the viewpoints of younger people living in Ruddington. Why not drop us a line with YOUR thoughts about what village life is like for children and teenagers growing up in Ruddington?