Logixal donates IT equipment to support Pedro Youth Club

We were delighted to visit the Pedro Youth Club in Hackney to donate PCs to support the great work they do at the Youth Club. The PCs will enable the kids and young people that come to the club to have access to technology to do homework and in the future, to enable the Club to offer IT skills classes. 

We really enjoyed meeting the whole team, including Maralyn, Diane Fenton (secretary), Derek Williams (Chairman), and James Cook MBE who made us feel welcome and took us for a tour which included a boxing training room, a classroom, a music room, and a communal room.

The Pedro Club offers all children and young adults in the borough a safe haven where they can enjoy sport and progress amongst their peers Today the Hackney-based club remains as one of the oldest functioning youth clubs in London. Established in 1929 by Baroness Harwood the Pedro Club was revived in the 1960’s with the support of Dame Elizabeth Taylor, who served as a patron up until her death in March 2011. In June 2007 James Cook was awarded an MBE within the Queen’s Honours List for Services to Youth Justice in the borough of Hackney. James Cook a local resident and former British Super-Middleweight Champion, was alerted to the plight of the Pedro Club and set about organising a rescue programme. A new management committee was formed and due to their arduous efforts, the club reopened in 2003. Today James sits at the helm and volunteers the majority of his time to the club, also acting as Treasurer, Coach and Mentor. James Cook a former European and British Super Middleweight Boxing Champion was awarded an MBE in 2007 for “his outstanding work with the young people of Hackney’s notorious “Murder Mile”, where up until today there is still a problem with youth-gang culture.

Daniel Hoile, Founder and CEO at Logixal commented The Pedro Youth Club is just fantastic, I think what James, Derek, Maralyn, Diane and the rest of the team do for the kids that come to the Club is just incredible. The variation of the activities available, from the cycling, the social gatherings, the music studio, the football coaching, the boxing coaching is just great. I loved hearing the many stories about how the Club has been and continues to be, such a great influence on so many young people in the local community. I’m so excited to support the Club with the donated PCs so that the Club can offer access to technology for homework and IT classes in the future.'

Read more about the Pedro Youth Club