Work of Rochdale Bangladesh Youth Society celebrated

The Rochdale Bangladesh Youth Society celebrated its sixth anniversary yesterday evening, Tuesday 31 July. Celebrations were held at the Wardleworth Community Centre and members of the society were joined by Heywood amp; Middleton MP Jim Dobbin, Rochdale Mayor Councillor Peter Evans, and Mayoress Helen Evans alongside Rochdale's Labour Parliamentary candidate Simon Danczuk.

The Bangladesh Youth Society has gone from strength to strength during its six years and has formed a strong relationship with Rochdale Council and the local police force.

The Society has organised successful trips for children to venues such as Alton Towers and Chester Zoo as well as hosting regular and popular sporting events. The group have also worked with youngsters to raise drug awareness. All of these efforts and achievements were recognised and appreciated by the distinguished guests present.

Simon Danczuk said: "The celebrations were great because there were lots of young people there and this gave me a chance to chat with them about what the key issues are for them. Some of their concerns are very similar to those of older people. They mentioned the dirtiness of the streets in Rochdale and how refuse collection wasn’t working properly and they also mentioned the need for a greater police presence. One boy told me how he’d had his mobile phone stolen from him by a man in his 20s and that the police response time had been up to four hours.

“It’s important we listen to young people and I said in my speech that those involved in politics have a responsibility to remember young people more when developing policies, delivering services, and the language that we use, so that young people are fully engaged.

“I hope the excellent work of the Bangladesh Youth Society continues for many years to come.”