Play centre celebrates 30 years

Hundreds of Venture-goers young and old turned up for the party

Hundreds of people have attended a party and reunion to celebrate three decades of a pioneering play centre.

The Venture, in Wrexham's Caia Park estate, was set up to try and combat crime and anti-social behaviour.

It was the brain-child of Malcolm King, who was then working with young offenders in the town.

He said: "I wanted to try and help the young people in the Wrexham area who were ending up going to borstal and jail."

He added: "I soon realised that half of juvenile crime in surrounding area came from just one council estate of 13,000 people - that was Queens Park, now known as Caia Park.

It was a bit of a wild west here before this opened Colin Powell

"Since the dawn of time parents have known bored kids mean trouble.

"It's better for us to spend money constructively giving them something to do, rather than destructively once they've committed offences."

After being set up Mr King in 1978, the centre has grown so that it has almost 30 full-time and part-time staff, and a budget of around half a million pounds.

The Venture's birthday celebrations have included a children's party, a reunion for the adults and a parade through the estate.

Colin Powell went to the centre as a boy: "It was a bit of a wild west before this opened - there was nothing here," he said.

"Children love it because they have the ability to play without adults saying you can't do this or you can't do that."

The model established by the Venture has been copied elsewhere in Wales and the UK, including in another centre in Wrexham now run by Mr Powell.

Malcolm King said "We've had a real impact on crime and anti-social behaviour.

"The future is all about helping other groups in other places repeat the success we've had here."

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