Twenty-four years on and the Greenwich and Bexley Archway Project is still improving young people's lives. Reporter SAMANTHA PAYNE takes a look at its work.

THOUSANDS of youngsters have passed through the doors of the Archway Project since it was established in 1982.

The club trains young people in motorcycle maintenance skills, which can lead to employment or encourage them back into education.

It is mainly aimed at youngsters who are at risk of offending or have been excluded or partially excluded from school.

The 11 to 18-year-olds visit the club at least once a week to take part in a series of workshops over a five-week period.

They start learning the basics and then gradually learn more in-depth technical skills.

It is a rolling programme which people can attend as often as they like. It can be three days to three years.

The youngsters have to "earn a ride" after learning all the theory - they get the chance to take the bikes out to a track in Essex.

The longer they stay at the club in Harrow Manorway, Thamesmead, the more technical skills they obtain. This can lead to qualifications equivalent to level 1 to 3 NVQs.

Archway is funded by Greenwich and Bexley councils and also supported by a range of organisations.

These include the Auto Cycle Union, which trains the staff to teach the young people how to ride, the Bexley Voluntary Service Council, the Met Police and the Greenwich Play Association.

Archway works with schools such as the Bexley Business Academy, Abbey Wood Secondary School and at least 30 referral agencies, such as the Jumoke Family Centre in Abbey Wood.

Apart from its motorcycle training, the club runs a motorcycle awareness programme to teach the youngsters the dangers of riding motorcycles illegally.

At the end of the last school term at the Bexley Business Academy, the project worked with Bexley police to show pupils you can be arrested for riding motorcycles without a licence.

Penny Watts, 47, whose post as monitoring officer was recently funded by the Bridge House Trust, said: "This makes them think about the impact of riding bikes illegally, including the consequences on someone's family, especially if a loved one gets knocked down.

"My job is rewarding as I see the youngsters grow and turn into nice people."

Penny has worked at Archway for three years and believes the project can make a difference to people's lives.

She added: "We give them a sense of purpose. At school they feel they can't achieve but when they come here we offer them something to do and they learn how to fix things. We give them that extra time, which raises their self-esteem.

"We try to encourage the young people back into education and do their GCSEs, believing they can achieve within the system.

"If that's not the way they want to go, the skills they learn might lead to all types of employment, such as plumbing."

Tom Costello, 16, who has been attending the project for two years, said: "Archway has improved my mechanical skills and has encouraged me to go on to study electrical installation.

"It's also been great fun and I have enjoyed taking part in two youth endurance competitions in Oxford and Dover."

Facts about the project

  • THE Archway Project started in a temporary building but is now in a fully-developed building offering cooking facilities and two workshops.
  • The project enters riders in endurance and team competitions to challenge their skills and knowledge of the bikes.
  • It used to open three days a week but now opens six days a week from 10am to 3pm.
  • The project runs a lunch club aimed at encouraging healthy eating and life skills such as budgeting.
  • It works with youngsters from Greenwich and Bexley.
  • For more details about the project, call 020 8310 1730.