WHERE have all the children gone? That was the question being posed today by leaders of a popular York youth club whose attendance has plummeted from 50 to zero in recent months.

Wendy Barker and Tracey Cunningham have run Moly's Kitchen youth group, in Wains Road, Dringhouses, for more than five years, but are baffled as to why numbers have dropped off.

The club was recently awarded a £1,800 grant by the local neighbourhood committee to install a big screen and projector in order to show football matches and educational videos.

Mrs Barker said: "By this time of the year the older kids have moved on and we get an influx of new ones, but it has just not happened.

"Not one person turned up last week or the week before and we usually get up to about 50. It's just like the Pied Piper has been to Dringhouses and whisked all the kids away."

Mrs Barker said volunteers recently went out to all the usual youth haunts in the area to encourage teenagers to go along to the club, but failed to find any.

"If we are doing something they don't like at the club then they should come and tell us and we'll put it right," she said.

"I don't think this sort of club is outdated because we've always had older kids coming in.

"We don't want to close, but we've still got the rent to pay whether the kids come in or not. Once the youths realise the club is open we will get a few coming down. It's a lot nicer than a shop doorway, so my message to parents is send your children here."

The club, which puts on a number of games and activities, including football, basketball and netball, is for youngsters aged between 11 and 15. It runs every Thursday between 7.30pm and 10pm.

The Evening Press previously reported on the community's outrage when the two Moly's leaders were suspended from running the club after being forced to manhandle a teenager out of the premises because of his violent behaviour.

Council bosses spoke to all involved and later revealed they were happy for the volunteers to continue.

Updated: 09:56 Thursday, August 04, 2005