Council to sell young people's night tickets

ONE of York's leading nightclubs is to overhaul the sale of tickets to its young people's night - to end the risk of youngsters being turned away from the door.

City of York Council is to take charge of ticket sales for ikon/diva's next young people's night, saying the event's popularity has led to young teenagers wandering Clifton Moor because they cannot get in.

Some young people have had to queue up for as long as two hours before being turned away, sometimes in rain, and the council is hoping to prevent any repeat of such problems.

Entry to the club on Tuesday, which is limited to young people aged between 12 and 16, will be by pre-purchased ticket only.

A City of York Council spokeswoman said: "This has been done in the light of problems there have been in the past. These nights are so popular and we want to ensure people don't have to be turned away."

The Evening Press reported in December last year on the anger of mothers whose teenage daughters had been turned away from ikon/diva's Club Culture under-18s' dance party.

Teenagers as young as 12 were turned away and left to wait in the rain without supervision after they claimed they were not even allowed into the club to telephone parents.

Tickets will be on sale for Tuesday's young people's night from tomorrow at 1pm and will be available from the youth forum office, in Silver Street, York, at a cost of £5 with a maximum of four tickets sold to each person.

The Tuesday event will go on from 7pm to 10pm and there will be no alcohol, cigarettes or chewing gum on sale.

In addition to staff from the night club being on duty at the event, council youth workers will also be attending to help ensure that the evening is successful and enjoyable for all young people attending.

No one was available for comment today at the ikon/diva club.

Updated: 11:33 Saturday, February 17, 2001