A youth club will be shutting for a short time as parish bosses aim to get the site refurbished by the spring.
Taverham Youth Club based in the Taverham Village Hall in Sandy Lane had been run by Hellesdon-based professional youth worker and mother-of-three Kerry Johnson for 11 years.
But the parish council, which paid Miss Johnson £11,000 each year to run three sessions a week for eight to 16-year-olds, cancelled the contract in September.
Parish council clerk Samantha Salmons explained the council wanted to carry out a refurbishment of the room and kitchen in the hall with the hope of it reopening from April next year.
She added the council would consult with young people to find out what they wanted from youth services.
Miss Johnson, 46, founder of KJ Youth Services, explained she could not lead the sessions from March this year because her long-term partner Andrew Jeffries, 60, died of a heart attack that month.
As a result the mum had struggled with childcare.
She said she had done her best to cover the sessions with other professional youth workers so the centre could stay open this autumn but the offer had been declined.
The mum appreciated she had not met the contract but "needed time to grieve", adding: "I'm disappointed for the young people who have got nothing for the interim period.
"I feel guilty. I love Taverham. I hope the council stays true to their word and it reopens.
"There is the potential for community issues and anti-social behaviour and there are several individuals in the projects whose wellbeing I am worried about."
The parish clerk acknowledged Miss Johnson's difficult situation, adding: "She suggested something but it was a fraction of the contract."
The clerk described the refurbishment as an exciting time for the community and said: "It is time for a refresh."
Stuart Clancy, Conservative district and county councillor for Taverham, said: "The need for the refurbishment is there however there is a need for the youth provision. I will be pushing to get that provision up and running and enhancing it depending on funds."
A contract to run the service will be put out to tender.
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