Machynlleth Youth Club has put an urgent call out for volunteers.

Ieuenctid Mach Youth (IMY) is seeking people who can offer their time to help them open each Tuesday evening to the young people of the town.

Based in the Owain Glyndŵr Centre, the club is described as a “vital resource” for Machynlleth’s young people who don’t otherwise have a safe space to hang out outside of school.

What started as an idea bourne between young people and concerned residents two years ago blossomed into a fully fledged CIC offering a supervised space each week during term time.

However the youth club are struggling to open weekly as they require a minimum of five volunteers to supervise the young people - with 198 young people aged 11-16 currently on their books and between 40 and 60 attending each week.

Beth Clewes, the IMY Youth Worker, said: “It can be a last-minute scramble to get enough volunteers there to ensure everything runs smoothly and safely.

“The perception is that IMY is a fixture of the community and it's not - it could go at any moment.

“We keep getting to the point where we’re firefighting to stay open.

“Getting that across to people is important - if they could just give one night a month it would help make us sustainable.

“Many hands make light work.”

Since IMY launched, police have reported that anti-social behaviour in the town is down.

Last year in 2024 the young people turned up 1,753 times.

Whilst IMY has had successful rounds of funding over the last two years, their current funding from the National Lottery covers three staff to work 18 hours total a week.

This means they are reliant on volunteers to open each week - with 13 active volunteers including four volunteer directors.

Beth said: “We get some young people with challenging behaviour but who come back each week because they know we’re always there.

“We’re here for them and they know that.

“It’s an amazing thing to get to do.”

The club offers a free recreational space for young people, along with optional activities with visits from artists, podcast creators, DJs and more.

They also host events including Halloween parties, music nights and dress-up events.

Gaining more volunteers will also help them avoid charging a weekly sub, with Beth adding: “We want to keep it accessible to all young people.”

Parents, carers and community members who want to help keep the club running but can’t donate their time are encouraged to set up weekly or monthly donations to the club.

IMY are also looking for help behind the scenes with things including grant writing, with their current funding set to run out at the end of March.

Volunteers need to be age 18 or over and DBS checked, which IMY can support with.

To find out more about volunteering contact them via email at [email protected] or via their Facebook or Instagram pages.

To donate, head to their JustGiving page.