The Brunswick Youth Club has become something unique, a place where young and old can gather as a community in one space.
Youth clubs have slowly been decimated from south Sefton, but the Brunny in Marsh Lane, Bootle, is holding its ground and bucking a trend that has seen community hubs die out. From youth clubs and pubs to green spaces, there is a lack of facilities that can allow people room to grow, stay away from crime and socialise.
This week marked the 75th birthday of the Brunny, with people from a number of generations making it a morning to remember as they didn't just celebrate the club's vast history of the club, but looked forward to the strides the club is making with an emphasis on sustainability. The interactive hub has an odd history, with the initial idea of the club being raised in a prisoners' camp in WWII.
READ MORE ABOUT THE BRUNNY: The Merseyside youth club that was founded in WWII prisoner camp
The Brunswick Boys Clubs, as they were once called, were formed when soldiers held as prisoners of war at Oflag 49, a camp on the outskirts of Brunswick (Braunschweig), came together to try and better themselves and society. Members of the boys' clubs managed to collect £13,000 worth of IOUs that would eventually be paid in full when the camp was liberated and the soldiers returned to the UK.
This is where the Brunswick story splits off, with clubs being formed in London, Glasgow and Liverpool. According to the Bootle Brunswick Youth Club website, the club was established by Michael Marshall, Phillip Evans and Harry Mounsey, all of whom had been prisoners of war at Oflag 79.
The club was set up and opened in Toxteth in April 1947 before moving to its more recognisable home on Marsh Lane in 1964 where it stands today One of the most famous Brunny graduates is Bootle's own Jamie Carragher who now works with the centre regularly with his charity the 23 Foundation.
Speaking to the ECHO, Jamie said: "It was a massive part of my life, and it still is, the Brunny. I couldn't think of anything else that could fill its place. When you're a youngster, you go to school most days, you've got your family and then it was the Brunny.
"It was this community. If you weren't in school or you weren't at home, you were at the Brunny. That's what it was like, not just for me, but for almost every kid around here and I'd like to think it's almost the same now.
"The youth club, for me, was a massive part of my life and we're lucky to have it going. We've still got what we do for the kids and the old faces over the years."
Jamie even remembers the day he first step foot in the centre with his dad who encouraged him to play football with the older kids on the pitch in the back of the building. He said: "I remember coming into the Brunny, and the gym is still exactly the same, the football gym.
"My dad brought me here and I must have been six or seven. There were lads there who must've been 10 or 11, and my dad asked if I could join in basically. I can still picture it now.
"Playing with older lads who you don't know it's a little bit difficult when you first start playing but hopefully I impressed them."
The impact of the centre really hit home when dozens gathered to share a brew and chat about what the hub really means to them and the community. People ranging from the son of one of the founders to the volunteers who made sure no one's mouths went dry, serving cups of tea by the dozens. The community spirit was far from faded when people came together on a warm Friday morning.
The ECHO has covered the progress and shortcomings in south Sefton in recent months, from Cooksons Bridge on Gorsey Lane in Litherland who are trying their best to stay open not for themselves, but for the people who go there every day, to the regeneration of Bootle and the positive future of the town. People didn't hesitate when emphasising the importance of the Brunny, with short video clips of children that attend the centre singing songs and performing plays.
The painted mural of Jamie just across the road on the side of the building provides a continued reminder to those in the town that anything is possible, and the Brunny can give children and adults a helping hand. Keith Lloyd, the centre manager, took to the stage to speak in front of a variety of guests, including representatives of funding groups and partners.
He said: "I'm really pleased to be part of this amazing organisation and today is about that really. It's about recognising the past, present and the future and it's about recognising the next 25 years with the sustainability element."
Keith spoke at length before a presentation on plans to introduce self-sustainability to the centre. The provisional plans are looking to expand the indoor football gym by 12ft, allowing for another football pitch to be added, as well as having solar panels installed on the roof, cutting utility costs.
The plans would see the centre become carbon neutral by 2035 at the latest, with it ideally coming to fruition in 2030. The ambition is there, the centre is now looking to raise money as it anticipates costs reaching £1.5m.
One of the companies that will continue to support the progress of the centre is the Sovini group. Managing director of the company Ian Mitchell said: "I'm really excited to be invited here to share this experience. It's an honour and privilege to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the Brunny and what a great story it is.
"We've had a long-standing partnership with the Brunny now, myself being involved for the last 13 years and I've seen some great things in that time. We talk about our purpose a lot, and our ambitions to change lives, and that's something that the Brunny does every single time it opens its doors and that's where we have a common interest.
"The Brunny has done some great work in our communities and made a real difference to many people's lives, particularly the young people from the local area who have gone on to do some amazing things. At times of crisis and emergency, and we've had some over the years, we have always been able to rely on Keith and the team at the Brunny to be there and support us, regardless of the time of day, whether it's the middle of the night."
