A YOUTH magazine is celebrating after receiving an unexpected birthday present — £3,000.

Volunteers at Xplode, a magazine and charity run by young people, welcomed Warren Smith, the Lord Lieutenant of Greater Manchester, to their base at The Hub in Bolton town centre to celebrate its third birthday.

And Mr Smith surprised them by saying he wanted to do more than just congratulate them on their efforts.

He added: “I find it absolutely remarkable what’s been achieved at Xplode over the past three years.

“The freshness and innovation of Xplode’s young people is really what’s pushing this forward.

“More than congratulat-ing Xplode on what they’ve achieved, I want to commit myself to them.

“On behalf of the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund, I have a cheque for £3,000. It’s an exciting enterprise which I would like to see replicated across Greater Manchester.”

Xplode chief Saeed Atcha said: “This news couldn’t have come at a better time.

"We’ve just celebrated a growth in readers to 13,128, more than £100,000-worth of volunteer time and three years of positive social action by Bolton’s young people.

“It’s amazing to see a reduction in the negative stereotypes of young people and we’re being filled with confidence and motivation to do more in our communities.”

The Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Martin Donaghy, said: “There is always a perception that young people are up to no good.

"You have demonstrated that this is not the situation in the Bolton family and that you are committed to the future of the family.

“The future of our town is the youth of our town and I know that it will pass into very competent and safe hands from what I’ve seen at Xplode.”

Xplode showcases the writing and design skills of Bolton’s young people and covers youth culture, music, fashion, sport, entertainment and social issues.