A POPULAR youth group has received a £25,000 makeover to give its home a new lease of life.

Harmony Youth Project won the makeover from construction company Artez Group, which stripped back the premises at Wordsworth Industrial Estate.

The project's space was enlarged by taking out existing rooms, the kitchen was revamped and their dancefloor expanded.

Charlie Barrett, aged 50, started the youth club in 2000, he said: “It’s given the space a new lease of life.

“The centre was okay but it was a bit dated.

“The revamp has revitalised it and it’s bigger now, which allows us to do more.”

A new dancefloor with a mirrored wall has been put into the youth centre, which Mr Barrett plans to use for dance and fitness classes. He said he had already been in touch with personal trainers about classes.

Mr Barrett said: “Before the size of the dancefloor was very restrictive but on our open day we had 22 dancers doing a complex routine.”

Mr Barrett added: “We had been trying to fund the refurbishment ourselves, doing a bit here and there.

“Artez came in and were able to really clear the space and we had a lot of stuff we had been saving, which was just clutter and we filled some skips with it.

“The people who use the centre love it. That’s the reaction we’ve had which is brilliant.”

Harmony Youth Project still has a few rooms which need refurbishing and Mr Barrett said as a result of the Artez revamp they have been able to find help to finish it off.