Published: 8 December, 2011
by JOHN GULLIVER

THE unique Winch is launching a £4million appeal this week to transform it into an even more remarkable youth centre than it is.

But it wouldn’t be what it is if Graham Good hadn’t founded it.

Last week, no mention was made of Graham Good at the launch of this new scheme.

But I tracked him down to his home near Hastings, where he had gone to live after running the Winch for about 25 years.

Graham’s is an inspiring story of what can be achieved – through squatting.

An idealistic would-be teacher at the North London Poly, then in Kentish Town, Graham, inspired by the free-thinking educational guru, AS Neill, wanted to dedicate his life to helping young, troubled people.

Oddly enough, Graham, a socialist by inclination at the time, laughed as he told me how he wanted to set up a “Free” school – shades of the education minister Michael Gove’s policy today.

He sent a letter to all the youth wings of the local political parties asking them to help him make better use of the disused building, then recently bought by Camden Council.

Only Peter Mandelson, then a member of the Young Communist League, offered to help.

Graham led a group of youngsters, including Mandelson, to squat the building.

Within a few months, the squat was legalised after a campaign among Camden councillors, led by solicitor David Offenbach and Tony Clarke, now Lord Clarke.

The squat, led by Graham, became a bolt hole for kids in trouble, many of  whom were simply bunking off from school.

But such was the appeal of Graham’s genuinely-held beliefs that the then head of the nearby Quintin Kynaston secondary school, Peter Mitchell – later he became Camden’s education chief – turned a blind eye if any pupils spent their time at the Winch.

“He would ring me every day,” Graham recalled, “to check his school roll with mine. He was quite happy if he knew if he knew some of his pupils were with me.”

Graham’s voice rose with admiration as he described how the youngsters who could find no place in society worked non-stop – painting, plastering and decorating – to transform the run-down building into an attractive youth centre.

“It was a miracle,” he said.

Later, Graham joined the Labour party, became a councillor, and carried his idealism and fresh approach to local politics, into a Labour group which was then leading the field in Britain in education and social welfare.

A keen cricketer, Graham, now in his early 60s, still umpires matches, despite a touch of arthritis.
I knew Graham in his latter days on the council – and he still sounded the same Graham: a man who thinks the best of people; a man who believes that however troubled youngsters may be, they can always be put onto another path.