A NORTH Durham youth club has been awarded a £9,125 grant to help improve its facilities for young people.

The grant to Chester-le-Street Youth Club has been made by Nestl's Make Space campaign, a national project that supports the work of after-school clubs around the country.

The youth club was set up 36 years ago and has a membership of 460. The additional money will enable it to extend full after-school provision for over a year-and-a-half.

The grant will also allow the club to work towards full accreditation by Make Space. As a full member, it can apply for additional benefits such as music and sports activity programmes.

The Chester-le-Street youth club organiser, Beth Storey, said: "We are thrilled by this generous gift and delighted to know that our work has been recognised in this way.

"It is critical that our young people can socialise safely in places other than at school, and this grant means we now have resources in place to help us provide those amenities."

The £9,125 grant is one of 22 new awards currently being made by the Make Space campaign in this, the fourth round of the programme's drive to build a new network of contemporary after-school clubs for young people aged 11 to 16 throughout England.

Chester-le-Street youth club had to meet stringent criteria to qualify for the award, having to demonstrate, for example, how it caters for the needs of its young members.

The club also had to show that it is equipped with an area for children to "chill out", quiet spaces for study plus access to sports and creative activities.

Baroness Thornton, chairman of the Make Space Development Fund, said: "I am delighted to award this grant to the Chester-le-Street youth club, which recognises the determination of its members and leaders in providing suitable amenities and activities for young people in this area."