LYDNEY Town Council has earmarked £25,000 for the development of a dedicated youth centre in the town.

The money will be released when specified criteria have been fulfilled.

Lydney Hub has been identified as the best and most requested way to deliver a service which has been lacking in the town since the closure of the local youth cafe.

A building has been identified for this use and a business plan will now be submitted to the council.

In order to make the new youth centre sustainable, the proposal is to run a community cafe from the building while it is not in use by the young people, supplementing this through hire of the venue, offering advertising space to local companies and applying for funding from external bodies.

The aim is also for the venue to be accessible to all – an asset to the local community while providing local organisations and businesses with a co-working space, exposure to Lydney residents with PR/CSR opportunities and the promotion of local talent with the potential of generating new employment and experiences.    

Lydney Hub is seeking help from the community to support the set up and sustainability of the project.

This can be financial help, donations of equipment and materials, skills, service and time, volunteer support or even suggestions on what residents would like to see provided.

There is a time limit on the availability of the property so the project organisers are specifically requesting financial assistance to secure the first quarter’s rent of £3,625.

To contribute or to learn more about the ‘vision’ for the hub, the business plan can be made available on request.

For more details go to www.lydneyhub.org