The BattisYouth Hub
Friday nights in Romford. Our summer in numbers.
Every Friday from 3.30pm to 6.30pm, the doors of The Battis open to young people from across Havering. It's free, there's hot food, and there are always trusted adults on hand. Between July and September 2026, that simple promise added up to something we're really proud of.
Thirteen Fridays. Hundreds of visits. The same faces coming back.
Over the summer quarter we spent more than 45 hours with young people, straight after school and into Friday evening, right in the heart of Romford. The numbers matter, but what matters more is who keeps coming back. That consistency is what lets our youth workers build real trust and pick up on concerns early.
Something for everyone who walks through the door.
Just turn up
Fridays · 3.30–6.30pm · Romford
- Gaming on Xbox and PS5
- Music, making and mixing
- Sports: basketball, table tennis and boxing
- Chess, whether you're learning or already good
- Podcasting, finding your voice
- Hot food, free every single week
What's on each Friday
- 1st Friday: DJ workshops, learning to mix and play on the decks
- 2nd Friday: Chess night, beginners welcome
- 3rd Friday: Podcasting, recording a Unity Voices episode
- 4th Friday: Girls' Safe Space, a session just for young women
Reaching the young people it's meant for.
The right age
95.5% of attendances were from young people aged 12 to 18, with 12 to 15 year olds making up nearly three quarters. That's exactly the age where early, positive contact can make the biggest difference.
The room is also genuinely mixed. Young people from a wide range of backgrounds share the same space every Friday, with no single group in the majority.
A space young women choose to be in
of attendances were young women: 192 visits across 13 Fridays.
Young women consistently tell us The Battis feels safe and is a great place to express themselves. As well as their own Girls' Safe Space every fourth Friday, they use the open sessions just as fully as young men do.
For comparison, on our detached outreach on Hornchurch High Street, young women made up 38.4% of contacts. This is a space that's reaching young women who can be harder to reach elsewhere.
A podcast run by young people.
Young people from the hub run their own podcast. They pick the topics, write the questions and lead the conversations.
The podcast now has listeners in the UK, US, Canada and Sweden, across seven listening platforms. Not bad for something recorded on a Friday afternoon in Romford.
Hot food, every Friday.
Thanks to funding from the Metropolitan Police, the hub has its own air fryers, so every young person who walks through the door is offered hot food and a drink.
Most arrive straight from school at 3.30pm, and food means they settle, stay and take part. Sharing a table is also where young people relax and talk, and where a lot of trust gets built.
Growing around the young people who use it.
Their artwork and messages already cover the walls, and the offer keeps developing.
DJ workshops
Being introduced now on the first Friday of each month.
Digital membership cards
Every member gets their own card with a QR code, so we can keep them updated, reach a parent or carer quickly if needed, and better understand how many young people we reach.
The unit next door
We're hoping to secure the neighbouring space, giving the hub room to grow alongside the young people in it.
Free. Every Friday. Everyone aged 12–18 welcome.
No referral, no forms. Just turn up.
The Battis Youth Hub
Thank you.
A huge thank you to the Metropolitan Police for supporting this work, and to every young person who's made Friday nights at The Battis what they are.
Delivered by Youth Unity CIC
