A NEW youth group has opened in Lindford, offering village youngsters entertainment during the school holidays.

At the launch of The Ark, on February 20, youngsters were invited to drop in, play games and enjoy a free pizza lunch.

For two members of Lindford Methodist Church, the launch meant the idea of providing “something for the kids of Lindford” had become a reality.

Oliver Greenaway, a 27-year-old police community support officer, and Michaela Canning, who is in her early 50s and has and recently retired from the police force, were given permission, last year, to use the newly built church hall.

They planned a trial run of the youth drop-in, which was backed by a grant of more than £1,000 from East Hampshire District Council.

Unfortunately, it did not take place because Mr Greenaway was ill.

“Of course, we gave the council back its money but we still wanted to form a youth group and on Saturday we were able to achieve this,” Mr Greenaway told the Bordon Herald.

“We called it The Ark because 200 years ago a wooden building on the site was called The Ark and so we had the old and now the new.

“We also wanted to make the whole experience as relaxed and friendly as possible for local schoolchildren and teenagers.

“So we decided to have a drop-in session with no agenda so the young people could come and go when they liked. Our age range is from 11 to 17 because we wanted to emphasise it wasn’t a playgroup.”

With soft drinks on offer, the nine youngsters who dropped by had a range of activities to choose from, including table tennis, air hockey, pool, a football-table game and a Wii consul.

At lunchtime they enjoyed free pizzas, funded by the Lindford Methodist Church.

Mr Greenaway said: “The whole thing was a great success. We are also grateful to Lindford Parish Council for its support as it offered to give us £250 last year to kick start the enterprise, but because I got ill it didn’t go ahead.

“We have also been working with St Mark’s Church, in Bordon, which is also planning to start a similar group but it will be able to take a wider range because it has more space.”

The plan is now to hold a one off Ark event during the half-term and school holidays. The next one will take place during the Easter break followed by another in May.