In September 2006 there was a lack of young people within North End Baptist Church, so to give the youth something to be a part of, NEYouth was started within the church.
With a mixture of older and younger members of the church, the first night was held in September 2006.
There was a band, a mixture of experienced musicians (Brian Wiggins on bass, Vanessa Wiggins on vocals, and Sophia Twine on drums) with new musicians (TomGarner and PetePlowman on guitar, JessBanks on keyboard, and Dani Haffenden, SamMarlow, and Kirsty Plowman on vocals).
The evening consisted of games and activities in the hall, followed by testimonies and worship led by the band in the church.
Over time, the band was changing. Zach came to cover for Jess on keyboard, and Sam left to move on to other things. Also some fantastic new members joined during the year with the arrival of Cat Muscat on drums, StephLockwood on keyboard, and Sharon Howard on vocals.
As the first birthday approached in September 2007, NEYouth was becoming more demanding for all members both in and out of the band. After an amazing 1st birthday celebration, the group took a break between September and January. A new committee was formed to take over the running of NEYouth; this was comprised of Tom Garner, Dani Haffenden, Sharon Howard, Steph Lockwood, Cat Muscat, and Kirsty Plowman.
With two new band members arriving, Billy Fowler on bass and Luke Dickin on guitar and vocals, NEYouth had a fresh new look to start the year. With the arrival of the boys the band looked very promising. The line up was comprised of Tom Garner on lead guitar, Luke Dickin on guitar and vocals, Billy Fowler on bass, Cat Muscat on drums, Steph Lockwood on keyboard, and Dani Haffenden, Sharon Howard, and Kirsty Plowman all on vocals.
The evening started with some worship songs led by the band, followed by some ice-breaker games led by Sharon. There were then games and activities in the hall, after which one of the committee members gave a short talk, choosing a topic relevant to life and Christianity. The band then led more worship to close the evening.
In February 2008, the NEYouth band led worship at the Girls' Brigade Solent District Young Leader Training Weekend at Waterlooville Baptist Church.
As the youth grew, Tom started a second band to encourage some younger members. These were Matt Haffenden on guitar, Chris Moat on drums, Jack Garner on keyboard, and Emma Moat with Kirsty on vocals. This 'junior' band played at NEYouth evenings, and both bands played at a Youth Service at North End Baptist Church in June 2008.
September 2008 saw a fantastic second birthday celebration, and yet more changes to the band line-up as Cat left to attend Reading University, and Harriet Hender joined joined on drums.
In December 2008, there was a special Christmas celebration, with lots of fun including musical statues with a Christmas statue theme, and a special 'performance' of "I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day" by the band.
January 2009 saw even more changes, as Tom Garner stepped down from both band and committee. With several other members also leaving for various reasons, Steph and Sharon took over the leadership. Consultation with the youth brought about changes to the format of the evening, to bring it to how it is now.
NEYouth is constantly evolving... "watch this space"!