Youth cafe chairman steps down (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Youth cafe chairman steps down

8:00am Friday 4th January 2013 in News

THE chairman of trustees of Bewdley Youth Cafe has resigned due to health issues.

Derek Killingworth has left the role, which he held for five years, after suffering heart problems and diabetes.

Mr Killingworth, who is also an Independent Community and Health Concern town councillor, said the 5.45am starts to open the cafe for its breakfast club had started to take its toll on his health.

“It was just getting too much,” he said. “By the time Christmas came I was just exhausted. It’s no fun getting up at 5.45am. Although the kids were out of the cafe by 8.20am, I then started the constant work for funding bids. I was putting in in excess of 30 hours a week.”

He added he was “very sad” to be resigning but had to consider his health.

“I think five years is a fair old run,” Mr Killingworth said. “I shall miss a
lot of the children. There are some lovely young children.
“I think if I had gone on at the pace I was going I would have made myself
quite seriously ill.
“Someone has to be found to take over the breakfast club on a permanent basis because that’s an important part of the youth cafe.”

Trustee David Pearce will now take over Mr Killingworth’s position as
chairman of the cafe,which is based at Load Street and has more than
500 young members.

The charity faced closure in 2010 after it started running out of cash to
stay open and Mr Killingworth said it “constantly” had to apply for funding to keep the facility going.