Club has stood the test of time... it will still be here in 100 years.

Byline: Angus Hoy

One hundred years young!

The legendary Joe Walton's Community and Youth Club has celebrated its centenary in style.

And the festivities are set to continue with a number of special events planned for the coming weeks.

These include the publication of club historian Paul Stephenson's book The 100 Year Story of Joe Walton's in Middlesbrough and the restoration and dedication of Joe's recently rediscovered grave in Linthorpe Cemetery.

The club's huge impact on the lives of countless people over the last century was evident at the Church of The Ascension in Berwick Hills earlier this month where a packed congregation of more than 240 people celebrated the centenary.

Speakers included former senior youth worker Ray Parkinson, with a reading from Middlesbrough Mayor Ray Mallon and a boxing-themed performance from the Funky Dance Group, reflecting the sport's key role in the club's history.

Giving the address, the Bishop of Whitby the Rt Rev Robert Ladds drew a parallel between Joe Walton and fellow North-easterners Constantine and St Hilda as people who had changed the world for the better.

The service was followed by a reception at the Neptune Centre.

Joe was born in 1882, the son of a wealthy industrialist, and attended Rugby School before reading law at Trinity College, Cambridge.

It was while training in London for the bar that he became aware of the missions set up to keep young boys off the streets and out of trouble.

He, with his friend Walter Trevelyan Thomson, decided to create his own for the youth of Middlesbrough.

The Joe Walton's Boys' Club started life in 1906 in a cottage in one of the town's oldest streets, Little Feversham Street in St Hilda's.

Joe died in 1913 at the age of just 30, but his legacy would live on, with the ever-growing club moving in 1933 to the Oxford Music Hall where facilities included a roof-top gym and a swimming pool.

After a spell in Dunning Street, the club moved to Penrith Road in Berwick Hills, before reaching its current home in the Neptune Centre eight years ago.

Employing some 25 staff, the club now has more than 800 members, the oldest of whom is 93-year-old Marguerite Bellars.

Its activities are as diverse as its membership, ranging from karate and boxing clubs to line dancing and Sure Start programmes for new parents.

Youngsters are also heavily involved in fundraising for the club and have played a key role in preparations for the celebrations.

Centre manager Hazel Morris says: "This is seen as one of the most deprived areas in the country, but we have a great community spirit in here.

"People always remark how warm and welcoming it is and people quickly become part of the family."

A new mural in the centre's youth club room by artist Steve Robson charts the club's history, with scenes and characters spanning the decades.

Hazel adds: "The remit of youth work is to work with young people between the ages of 13 and 19, but it has to become part of their lives at a much earlier age, so they become part of something much bigger. Our youth club members have raised a fabulous amount of money and have worked tremendously hard."

Father Adam Gaunt, curate at the Church of the Ascension and a member of the club's management committee, said: "Joe Walton wanted to put something back into the town, to help form the young men of Middlesbrough into good citizens.

"The aim was to make them physically, mentally and spiritually fit for Edwardian society. He was a true philanthropist."

Mr Mallon said: "Joe Walton's Club has made a massive contribution to Middlesbrough over the last 100 years.

"It has become a brand within the town in relation to everything to do with youth.

"There's no doubt that the only guarantee that we have for the future is our young people and it's important that we acknowledge this.

"To this end I intend to ensure that a new emphasis is placed on the youth agenda because they are our future.

"Joe Walton's has stood the test of time and will still be here in another 100 years' time.

"Even though he died at a very young age, his legacy lives on and we should be grateful to him for the vision he showed."

* The celebrations continue with a social evening at the Neptune Centre tonight . To attend, or for details about other centenary events including the grave dedication service on December 8, call Hazel on 01642 242564.

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