THE Prime Minister was in town yesterday to see for herself the Bolton Lads and Girls Club. Local Democracy Reporter JOSEPH TIMAN spoke to Theresa May

Theresa May visited Bolton Lads and Girls Club to speak with children and young adults as part of a whistle-stop tour of the North West ahead of the local elections next week.

She met with chief executive Karen Edwards and AO.com boss John Roberts who both showed her around the centre in Spa Road.

Mrs May said she had heard about the “great” club and wanted to see it for herself.

She said: “What I’ve heard, particularly from young people, is how important this is for them. How it provides a good space for them to experience new activities and to find out what interests them.”

The Prime Minister toured the building, meeting with a dance group, watching a basketball game and dropping in on an art lesson.

The 11-year-olds continued painting as they spoke with Mrs May and said they enjoyed meeting her.

The children paint to take their mind of everything and chill out, according to participant Leona Elding.

Her classmate Caileb Carroee said: “It’s just a great place to be, it just really helps you be you and open up.”

Mrs May also spoke to Bolton boxer Cindy Ngamba who recently won at the England Boxing championships.

The 20-year-old champion described the meeting as an “amazing” experience, but said she was shaking with nerves. She said: “When they asked me if I wanted to meet Theresa May, I said, ‘The Theresa May that you usually see on TV?’, I was like, ‘okay!’”

The Prime Minister said she enjoyed meeting the “absolutely great” Cameroon-born boxer.

Chief executive Karen Edwards said it was “fantastic” to see the Prime Minister at the club. She said: “She’s been amazing with the children and young people, made time to speak to everyone, was here well over her time slot and we hope to see her again.”

Mrs May explained why she thinks organisations like Bolton Lads and Girls Club are so important for young people.

She said: “If somebody has some difficulties at home or doesn’t have the opportunities that other people have, that’s what this club gives. It gives those opportunities and it’s mentoring is really important. So it’s a great place.”

The Bolton News recently revealed the role that the club played in preventing large-scale abuse seen in places such as Rochdale and Rotherham through early interventions. In meetings with Bolton Council, leaders at the club were told to focus on saving young girls from falling into sexual exploitation.

Mrs May recognised the role that volunteers and staff play in protecting children. She said: “I think it’s hugely important and one of the things that was mentioned in some of the discussions I’ve had with staff was work with the young people on healthy relationships and I think that helping young people to understand the problems of sexual exploitation, to be able to identify it when they are subject to it is hugely important.”

Bolton Council’s executive cabinet member for environmental services Cllr Nick Peel said that the local authority is proud of the club which they have “historically funded”.

But he added: “Due to the record funding cuts that we have suffered from under Theresa May’s continued austerity agenda, which she promised to end, both the Council and Voluntary Sector youth services are unable to be funded to the level that we would want to.”

Bolton Council has lost £1 billion in spending power over the last decade since austerity began. It will have to find more than £20 million in savings over the next two years after off-setting some of the cuts by using council reserves.

The Prime Minister was asked whether the government will improve funding for councils to provide vital children’s services, or whether communities will increasingly rely on the work of groups like Bolton Lads and Girls Club.

She said: “First of all, we are actually putting more money into local authorities. We’ve been doing that, we are continuing to do that. This financial year more money will be going into local authorities. But secondly, it’s not an either or actually. Obviously there’s a place for the work that local authorities do and the relationship that this club has with the local authority, and other clubs that have been set up like this across the country, is an important element of that. But it’s also important to recognise the value that comes from an organisation like this that brings volunteers in who are able to just add that something extra to the service that is being given to young people here.”

Additional reporting by Kal Withana