Marsh Community Centre in Lancaster is hosting Green Week from Tuesday, February 13 to Wednesday, February 14. Children and adults alike can enjoy eco-friendly activities on both days.
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00:00 A lot of people say it's good being on your own, but I don't think it is.
00:05 And we should have more things like this community centre going on.
00:09 I think it would help the young people and the elderly people have somewhere to go.
00:14 When I first came to this area it was in the early stages of planning.
00:18 There was a lot of anti-social behaviour.
00:20 The crime rate was really high because there was just nothing for the young people to do.
00:24 Some families lead quite chaotic lives and don't have the resources, the finance or wherewithal to get out.
00:33 So this centre provides a lifeline for those children.
00:37 It takes all your energy out of you. You're not naughty. You're not giddy in that.
00:43 A lot of the ones who have been in trouble with anti-social behaviour, we've helped them.
00:49 One of the pupils from Central High came here, finished off her schooling.
00:53 She's got a Level 2 in plumbing and stayed out of trouble.
00:56 So it's a good place for them to come and us kind of keep them on the right track.
01:02 The amount of problems we've solved, and some of them massively serious problems, is unbelievable.
01:09 She got into bad ways. I had nowhere to go.
01:12 I was into drugs and all that and it was just getting worse and worse.
01:16 I'd end up in prison or somewhere or maybe even dead.
01:21 Everyone else shoves people off, whereas Debbie and I sit down and listen to what they've got to say and stuff like that.
01:28 That's the best they've done for me. They've kept me on track from when I felt down.
01:31 I just know there's a lot to talk to and I know the centre's here, so it's all good.
01:36 If the place wasn't here, there would be more violence. There would probably be more drug deaths.
01:40 There would be more homelessness. There would be people unable to eat.
01:45 So the food club's been running for quite a few years now. We're using food that would just go into the bin.
01:50 It does help out, like making your fresh meals. You get meat, fruit, veg and you're milking your bread for a fiver.
01:55 I come here for company and companionship. It's like a small family and I love coming.
02:01 When I can't come, I get very upset.
02:05 Deb helps people with signing on and understanding the really complex benefits system,
02:10 getting in touch with the health system, getting a GP or a dentist.
02:14 She'll help people with all sorts of problems.
02:17 We are a charity and we are constantly looking for funding, which is really time consuming,
02:23 which then prevents us from doing people-to-people work, which is what we're about really.
02:29 Imagine a place where, when you're at your lowest ebb, where nobody will help, and it sounds like a movie,
02:35 but true, when you're on drugs or you're on alcohol or your world's ending or you feel like it is,
02:40 imagine a place you can go to. Well, this is that place.
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