Colchester: Urban Support plans to become community hub

Emily Swaep, 28, is the project director of Urban Support, a community hub, in Colne Bank Avenue, Colchester, which is directly linked to the axe-throwing and activities centre, Urban Xtreme.

The organisation launched at the beginning of December and offers an array of services.

Emily runs Urban Support along with help from her partner Simon Farmer, and Urban Xtreme colleagues Rob Clark and Scott Hinchcliffe.

Location - Temple Bridge in Colne Bank Avenue, where Urban Support and Urban Xtreme resides (Image: Newsquest)

Facility - Inside Urban Support (Image: Emily Swaep)

As someone who has personally been “in and out” of children’s homes from early childhood, she is committed to helping children growing up now in difficult situations.

Urban Support runs the Get To Know Yourself project, a grant-funded program that can be referred to.

Running on Tuesday and Wednesday, the programme helps 18 children identify triggers, toxic and healthy relationships, confidence, boundaries, non-verbal boundaries, and more.

Its aim is to help children cope and regulate before they can return to a school environment, Emily teaches the children anger is like poison, and the importance of self-care and being healthy.

Every four weeks, if the children achieve their goals, they get an hour in the rage room while being supervised by the trained staff.

Playtime - Urban Support's room set up for the mum and baby group sessions (Image: Urban Support)

fun - Urban Support's air hockey and pool tables (Image: Urban Support)

Emily said: “The reason I started it, I have been working in jobs and seen the system failing the children who were exactly like me, I got fed up of children slipping through the system.

“I have become what I needed for when I was a young girl.

“They might misbehave but they are so strong willed they can make a change.

“There needs to be something to help them get off a bad path and onto a good one.

“When I was young there wasn’t a lot of places I could go as a kid in care, I want to give these kids a chance.”

There are free non-referral programmes at Urban Support like the Active Essex funded afterschool club on Tuesdays from 4pm to 6pm for children aged 11 to 16, where they can throw plastic axes at targets and more.

Adults and children with special educational needs are also catered for at sessions in Urban Support.

Thoughtful - Emily Swaep preparing vital food parcels for the community in December last year (Image: Urban Support)

Strong - Urban Support's Emily Swaep (Image: Emily Swaep)

The Urban Support facility boasts pool and air hockey tables, boxing bags and board games. 

Mums and baby groups are held Wednesdays from 10am to 12pm, where Emily can signpost the individuals to relevant services if needed and offer a safe space for them to visit.

She said: “I feel very glad because wasn’t just myself, I had Simon, Rob, and Scott backing me and helping me with everything, as a team we got it open.

“People are struggling, and the system is letting them down, it is heartbreaking.

“I feel now Urban Support is open, I can do something about it, I can do this, I can help people because I’m sick of the system failing everyone, I just want to help people.

“I am a normal person wanting to help other people, this world and life is hard enough, we need to help people so they can then help themselves.”

Urban Support is open Sundays to Wednesdays and is looking for more funding to employ another member of staff to allow the organisation to open every day.