Crowland youngsters enjoying new Dungeons and Dragons Club at Community Hub thanks to Cat Cloninger

Youngsters are being taken on a heroic journey thanks to the creation of a new town club.

Dungeons & Dragons was first created back in 1974, and has since inspired a generation of video games and made appearances in hit TV shows such as Stranger Things.

Now, Crowland Community Hub is hosting weekly sessions where teenagers and young adults can enjoy adventures through the fantasy tabletop game.

The group is being run by Cat Cloninger (23), who has lived in the town for just over a year.

American-born and most recently a London resident, she first got into the game herself shortly after Covid restrictions were introduced.

She began by playing with her flatmates at the time, and is now passing on her knowledge to a new generation.

Noticing that the majority of events in the Community Hub were tailored towards younger children, she wanted to entice teenagers and young adults into the library.

“So then I was just thinking ‘what did I want when I was that age?’” Cat said.

The first Dungeons & Dragons group is now full with 11 members, with planning under way to cater for more in the future.

For that, Cat will need to enlist the help of more volunteers - but she is delighted with the way things have started off, with the first meeting taking place a fortnight ago.

“It was good. It was a bit awkward at first just because of how people are, but most of the kids knew each other - which helped,” she said.

“They got into it. They’ve adopted a goblin that’s dressed as a Groundhog. They were supposed to probably kill him, but now they’ve brought him with them.

“His name is Grongo, and he’s just part of their party now I guess.”

Despite having only lived in Crowland for a short while, Cat has already picked up on a need for more clubs aimed at the young adult age group.

She added: “I don’t know what kind of clubs schools around here have, but I have had people come into the library before - some parents, some just other community people - asking about events or groups for this teenage community, because there isn’t that much around here.

“They still need things to do. It’s to make sure they know the library is a safe space for them, where they can find amusement and resources.”

Cat has also received some early interest from adults in the area who would like to play the game with others.

Anyone who wants to learn more about the game or potential clubs can get in touch with the Community Hub on Facebook.