Haslemere's young people now have a powerful ally in Chloe Adam, who has joined the Haslemere Youth Hub full-time as its youth worker, thanks to a £126,000 grant from the National Lottery. The funding will support Chloe’s role and associated projects for three years, enabling the Hub to expand its vital work.

Chloe, who has been working with the hub part-time, is thrilled to step into this expanded role.

“I just love it. I’m one of the few people who gets to go to work and not feel like I’m working,” she said. “I want to give the youth the support I would have loved when I was younger.”

The post-pandemic period has highlighted an increasing need for youth support.

“The needs of young people have skyrocketed,” Chloe said. “Being full-time means we can target most areas of youth work, from running diverse groups to outreach and working in schools. It’s really needed.”

Despite the hub's wide-ranging services, many in the community remain unaware of its existence.

“When I visited the Haslemere Health Centre the other day, one of the lead practitioners didn’t know about us,” said Nadeana Simpson, co-manager of the Hub. “They should be signposting young people to us, but so many families still don’t realise the resources we provide are here to help.”

The Haslemere Youth Hub, founded in 2019, is a community-driven charity that supports young people, parents, and carers. Led by Nadeana and Karen Garland, with Deeza Harris managing activities, the Hub offers a broad range of services, from baby sensory classes to youth clubs, street dance, counselling, and more.

“There’s a misconception that there’s nothing for young people to do here,” Nadeana added. “But it’s all happening at the Hub. If we don’t have the specific support someone needs, we can signpost them to the right place. We just need people to know we’re here.”

The hub relies on grants, donations, and the support of volunteers. In addition to youth-focused businesses hiring its studios, the hub offers low-cost activities during term time and holidays. It also provides more than 40 hours of counselling each week and hosts inclusive support groups.

With Chloe now full-time, the Hub is launching new programmes for ages 10 and up, including after-school drop-ins, youth groups, individual support, and a revision hub. These initiatives aim to meet the growing demand for youth services in the area, which still outpaces supply. Support outside of a classroom is something that not every child or young person will receive, in the home or elsewhere, making these changes at the hub all the more important.

Nadeana said: “This has always been the dream – to bring on a skilled, qualified youth worker for the benefit of the community. After five years, the National Lottery has fulfilled this for us. It really feels like we’ve won the lottery today!”

To learn more about the Haslemere Youth Hub or to support its work, visit their website or stop by the centre. Chloe and the team are ready to help.