Venture to rival Byker Grove in the hearts of city

A new facility in Newcastle is aiming to make a big difference to the lives of young people

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IF you asked anyone to name a place for young people to go in Newcastle, the chances are that they will immediately come back with the iconic Byker Grove youth club.

But while the place in North East history is secure for the fictional venue that first brought the likes of Jill Halfpenny, Charlie Hunnam and Donna Air to the nation's attention, not to mention everyone's favourite double act Ant & Dec, a new community hub in Byker that's opening this month is set to make a much more practical difference to the opportunities available to young people.

The Lighthouse Project is a state-of-the-art facility which will offer a broad range of activities and services centred around young people, and which has been designed to provide a wider template for how these services can be delivered to UK venues.

It has been created through the renovation of St Michael's Church on Saint Michael's Mount, which has taken more than 18 months to complete, and is expected to welcome around 1,500 young people and their families through its doors each year.

Lighthouse Project trustee Mark Squires says: “The idea for the Lighthouse Project first arose out of a passion for working with young people on the Byker Estate and a frustration with the lack of purpose-built facilities in the area to support this work.