Locations - Old Woking
"We are now in our fifth year working with young people in Old Woking (three of those years as The Gloster Road Group, two as Outside Light). The emphasis being to show young people on the streets that they're valued by chatting with them, playing football, mending bikes, providing barbecues, snacks and drinks etc.
It all started with just three people praying together and quite simply asking God what he would like us to do. We came to the conclusion that He was telling us to go and make friends with local youth hanging around on street corners etc. and so the Gloster Road Group was formed.
Over the years from that point we have met numerous young people, have run a 'drop in' for youth, gone on trips out, played football, mended bikes,helped kids with homework, hung around on street corners and generally enjoyed what we do. There have been hard times and low points but also rewarding times and high points."
Of the original group only two now remain, over the years volunteers have come and gone and at the moment we have between 8-12 people on the Old Woking team.
Our aim is to meet as many young people as possible and be their friends showing them, if the opportunity arises, that there is a God and that he loves them regardless. We tell them, we don't ram it down their throats. They know what we're about, and they come to us when we have our drop-ins during the winter, as well as us going to them when the evenings are lighter.
We are active people that do and don't just say. We really love and value the young people we're serving, even when they wind us up - which is quite frequently.
This coming winter in Old Woking we have plans to continue detached youth work and to also run a 'drop in' so that the youngsters have somewhere to go.
We have enjoyed this work and look forward to extending it." Phil Hazelden
