A youth club helping set Canterbury’s younger generations on the right path in life has been awarded the highest honour possible by the Queen for voluntary services.

The Prince of Wales Youth Club, which opened in 1935, was bestowed the honour at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Joey Wicks, who brought the Military Road club back to life 20 years ago, says it reflects how much work has gone in throughout the two decades from a 35-strong team.

He said: “We’re so pleased - getting an award like this. This kind of thing just doesn’t happen.

“It really shows the work we have done over the years has come to something.”

The father-of-two was a member of the club as a child and says it was the support he received there that helped set him up for life.

He got back involved as an adult after finding the club in debt and in danger of closing.

Quitting his job as a freelance chef, he struck a deal with the trustees that if they agreed to pay his mortgage each month, he would turn the place around.

“It was the club that I attended as a kid and when I look back I remember the support and advice I got,” he said.

“I believe it supported me in my own personal development.

“I wanted to emulate what they gave me and try to take it a bit further. I think that’s what I’m really proud of.”

The club was set up in 1935 to help young people in an environment in which they could flourish and to help them escape the pressures of life.

It has now evolved beyond simply a youth club to become a community asset that serves a wide range of local needs.

Its abiding principle is to provide a healthy and educational place for youngsters between the ages of six and 18 and offers a diverse range of activities, such as football, boxing, archery, trampolining and mountaineering.

Youngsters can also learn the basics in bricklaying or plumbing, or further their experience in art, science and nature.

Mr Wicks says his main aim is to ensure they provide a fully inclusive service and break down any barriers that can reduce a young person’s life chances.

“We’re over the moon to have got this award,” he added

“It was a bit of a surprise.

“You can’t really measure our work.”

The Queen’s Award for Voluntary Service aims to recognise outstanding work by volunteer groups to benefit their local communities.

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