About Organisation

Welcome to Ledley Hall

Welcome to Ledley Hall Boys and Girls Club Trust Ltd.

Ledley Hall has been at the heart of the Inner East Belfast community since 1942, supporting generations of children, young people and families. Many of the parents and grandparents who bring children to Ledley Hall today once attended the club themselves, and we are incredibly proud of the trust and relationships that have been built with local families over more than 80 years.

At Ledley Hall, we want every child and young person who comes through our doors to feel safe, welcome, valued and included.

We are much more than a youth club. Our aim is to provide children and young people with somewhere they belong, trusted adults they can turn to and opportunities to learn, grow, make friends, try new things and discover what they are capable of.

Growing Up With Ledley Hall

Our relationship with families can begin from the very earliest years and continue right through childhood, adolescence and into young adulthood.

Dolly Parton Imagination Library

For some families, their first connection with Ledley Hall begins when their child is still a baby.

Through our Dolly Parton Imagination Library, enrolled children from birth until their fifth birthday receive a free, high-quality, age-appropriate book delivered directly to their home every month.

We believe that developing a love of books and stories from an early age can make a real difference to a child's learning and development. The programme encourages parents and carers to read together with their children, supports early language and communication and helps children build their very own collection of books at home.

Most importantly, we want reading to be something children associate with enjoyment, imagination and special time spent together.

Breakfast Club

As children move into school, our Breakfast Club provides a welcoming and positive start to their day.

Children and young people can have breakfast, spend time with friends and begin their morning in a relaxed and supportive environment before school.

We know that mornings can be busy for families and that having somewhere safe and familiar before school can make a significant difference to both children and parents.

Learning and Education

Supporting education is an important part of what we do.

Our After School Learning provision gives children additional support with their learning in a safe and encouraging environment.

As young people grow older, we also provide opportunities including educational support, accredited programmes, qualifications, employability activities and personal development.

We believe education is about much more than what happens in the classroom. Through youth work, children and young people also learn important life skills such as communication, teamwork, leadership, decision-making, confidence and resilience.

Junior Club

Our junior provision gives children somewhere they can have fun, make friends and experience new opportunities in a safe environment.

Activities can include games, arts and crafts, sport, cooking, educational activities, trips, residentials, community projects and much more.

Our programmes are shaped by the children themselves, and we regularly ask them what they enjoy and what they would like to see happening at Ledley Hall.

Our Junior Members Committee gives children an opportunity to have an even stronger voice, helping to plan activities and events and learning how to represent the views of other members.

Senior Club

As children grow into teenagers, Ledley Hall remains somewhere they can belong.

Our senior provision offers young people opportunities to socialise safely, participate in activities, access support and develop positive relationships with youth workers.

We provide evening, late-night and weekend youth provision because we recognise how important it is for teenagers to have somewhere safe to go during the times when there can be very few other opportunities available.

Our programmes can include sport, trips, residentials, personal development, mental health and wellbeing, employability, accredited learning, leadership, community safety, good relations and social action.

Sometimes young people simply need somewhere safe to spend time with their friends. At other times, they may need a trusted adult to listen, offer guidance or help them work through something that is happening in their life.

Both are an important part of youth work.

Youth Voice

We strongly believe that young people should have a say in the things that affect them.

Our Junior and Senior Members Committees give young people opportunities to influence what happens at Ledley Hall and to help shape our programmes.

Through our Democracy Works programme, older young people can explore issues such as children's rights, democracy, education, poverty and social justice.

They are encouraged to identify issues that matter to them and to make their voices heard, including engaging directly with decision-makers and democratic institutions.

We want young people to understand that their opinions matter and that they are capable of creating positive change.

Sport and Boxing

Sport and physical activity are an important part of Ledley Hall.

Our activities provide opportunities for young people to be active, develop confidence, build friendships and learn skills such as teamwork, discipline and perseverance.

Ledley Hall Boxing Club provides young people with opportunities to take part in boxing recreationally and competitively, with pathways available for those who wish to progress within the sport.

For us, sport is not simply about competition. It is another way of building confidence, relationships, resilience and a sense of achievement.

Everyone is Welcome

Ledley Hall is committed to inclusion.

We want children and young people of all abilities and backgrounds to feel that they belong here.

Ledley Hall is a Makaton Friendly organisation, and we use inclusive approaches to help children and young people communicate and participate.

This may include visual supports, sensory resources, adapted activities or individual support where appropriate.

Every child is different. If there is something that helps your child feel safe, comfortable or able to participate, we encourage you to talk to us.

Working together with parents and carers helps us provide the best possible experience for your child.

Keeping Children and Young People Safe

The safety and wellbeing of children and young people is central to everything we do.

Our staff and volunteers follow safeguarding procedures and are expected to maintain high professional standards at all times.

We work hard to create an environment where children and young people feel safe, respected and listened to.

We also want young people to know that if something is worrying them, there are trusted adults at Ledley Hall they can speak to.

If a member of staff has a concern about the welfare or safety of a child or young person, this will be managed through our safeguarding procedures.

Supporting Families

We recognise that supporting a child often means supporting the wider family too.

Alongside our youth provision, we run a number of community initiatives designed to provide practical support to local families.

Our Kindness Hut provides access to food and essential items for people who need them.

Our Book Hut allows children and families to choose books free of charge.

Food is also an important part of much of our youth provision because we never want financial pressures at home to prevent a child from participating or to see a young person go hungry while they are with us.

Where we cannot provide a particular type of support ourselves, we will always try to help families connect with an appropriate service or organisation.

Trips, Activities and New Experiences

We want children and young people to experience opportunities beyond their everyday surroundings.

Throughout the year, Ledley Hall provides a wide range of trips, residentials, educational visits, sporting activities, cultural experiences and community programmes.

These experiences are fun, but they also have a youth work purpose.

They can help young people develop independence, confidence and resilience, learn to work with others, experience different communities and cultures and discover interests they may never previously have had the opportunity to explore.

We believe every child deserves the chance to have positive experiences and make memories.

More Than a Youth Club

Ledley Hall is about much more than activities.

Youth work is about relationships.

It is about having adults who know your child.

Adults who notice when something does not seem right.

Adults who celebrate their achievements.

Adults who encourage them when they are struggling.

Adults who listen to them and take their views seriously.

It is about giving children somewhere they feel accepted and teenagers somewhere they can be themselves.

It is about helping young people recognise their strengths and encouraging them to believe that their background, family circumstances or postcode should never limit what they can achieve.

From Childhood to Young Adulthood

We hope Ledley Hall can be part of your child's journey as they grow:

Birth–5 years
Dolly Parton Imagination Library and early-years family engagement.

Primary school years
Breakfast Club, learning support, junior youth provision, activities, trips, sport and community programmes.

Teenage years
Senior youth provision, evening and late-night sessions, sport, youth voice, personal development, accredited learning, trips, residentials and targeted programmes.

Older teenagers and young adults
Leadership, volunteering, employability, qualifications, mentoring and opportunities to progress into further education, training and employment.

Children may enter Ledley Hall at different stages and take part in different things. There is no single pathway.

What matters to us is that whenever they become part of Ledley Hall, they know that they are welcome.

Working With Parents and Carers

Parents and carers are an important part of the Ledley Hall community.

We want you to feel comfortable speaking with us, whether you have a question, want to tell us something that may help us support your child or simply want to find out more about what is happening.

We also welcome your feedback.

Our relationship with families works best when there is open communication and when we work together with the shared aim of achieving the best possible outcomes for children and young people.

Welcome to Our Community

For more than 80 years, Ledley Hall has grown and changed alongside the community around us, but our commitment to children and young people remains the same.

We want every young person connected to Ledley Hall to have:

somewhere safe to go;
someone they can trust;
opportunities to learn and experience new things;
a voice that is listened to;
and people who believe in their potential.

We don't simply want children to attend Ledley Hall.

We want them to belong here, grow here and know that there are people here who believe in them.

Whether this is your family's first experience of Ledley Hall or your family has been connected to us for generations, we are delighted to welcome you.

Welcome to Ledley Hall.