A YOUTH worker who volunteered for almost three decades at a Valleys youth club is retiring after 27 years of service.

Colin Prosser, 65, has worked with generations of children since he started volunteering at Ynysddu Youth Centre in 1984.

Mr Prosser has finally taken the decision to retire, but he is unlikely to be forgotten – not least because his son Alun is continuing his father’s work at the same centre.

Mr Prosser, who lives in Ynysddu, first got involved with the group in the 1980s, when he was asked to help out with sports coaching. He was working as a welder, but found time to spare three nights a week to help out at the club.

Even after he gave up work nine years ago, he carried on volunteering, helping to organise outings and activities for hundreds of children, fighting the threat of closure on more than one occasion, and working with up to three generations of the same family as they passed through the youth club.

Mr Prosser said: “I’ve always treated the kids at their own level. They got to confide and trust in me. I tell them there’s nothing you can’t do if you put your mind to it and go for it. The kids are what I’ll miss the most.”

But his hard work has also inspired his son Alun to follow in his footsteps and help out at the club. The 35-year-old, who lives in Rogerstone, began working at there ten years ago, and found it so rewarding that he gave up his job at the Office for National Statistics to do a degree in youth and community work.

He is now an outreach worker for Welsh homeless charity Llamau alongside his role in Ynysddu.

Alun said: “Seeing my dad work there was my biggest influence, and it’s become a profession for me. His will be big shoes to fill, and it’s a shame he won’t be around as often as he was, but it’s not too far for him to visit.”

Staff and youngsters presented Mr Prosser with a watch for his retirement, as well as a table tennis bat with the inscription “Still unbeaten”.