Bolton: Halliwell youth club celebrates artwork exhibtion

The exhibition was held at the Moral and Nurturing Initiative Youth Club’s based on Prospect Street in Halliwell and saw hundreds of visitors.

The club was first founded in 2012 and now has more than 50 volunteers and more than 250 registered beneficiaries.

Sports coordinator Khadijah Patel said: “We’ve had an overwhelming amount of interest in all of our sports and physical activities throughout the year for children, youth and adults.

“The volunteers and coaches have worked tirelessly to accommodate everyone.”

Children produced incredible artworks (Image: Public)

The art exhibition showcased the skills and creativity of club members but also encouraged messages about peace, harmony and environmental awareness.

This follows on from regular activities the club holds based around physical health and mental wellbeing.

Activities have included traditional archery, squash, hiking, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, netball and wrestling as well as team building and life skills programmes.

A range of activities are on offer (Image: Public)

Aaminah Natha, 17, said: “Being part of MNI Youth Club has given me confidence to speak in front of a crowd and I enjoy taking part in regular activities.”

The group has already been financed by the Bolton Fund and has now successfully secured funding from the Asda Foundation, which they hope to use for project to convert an area of disused space on Back Progress Street into a nature garden.

The exhibition celebrated the club's achievements (Image: Public)

Workshops coordinator Sirah Quyyom said: “Our green space project will help us educate the children about climate change and what we can do to help.

“We will look at the impact of introducing more plants into the area, how it absorbs excess CO2 levels from the atmosphere, as well as how it will support local wildlife.

“We will also be re-using, recycling and hand-making many of the items for the project where possible.”

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Club members and organisers now say they are always looking for more partners to work with.

Management volunteer Mohammed Ismail said: “As a volunteer-run organisation, without the support of our existing collaborators and the Bolton’s Fund, we wouldn’t have been able to make the positive impact that we have done on the Bolton family.

“The work we do fits in perfectly with the priorities of Bolton’s Vision 2030 and we are delighted to be a key contributor in making this town a great place.

“We have an amazing team of volunteers and some great ideas we want to implement, we look forward to the continuous support and are excited for the future.”