A LASTING tribute has been unveiled by the family of a dedicated youth worker who helped change the lives of hundreds of young people.

Christine Partington, spent many years working and volunteering with the Wellfield Project, in Deane, before she died of cancer in February, aged 66.

To honour her work and dedication, its base, Wellfield house, has been renamed Christine Partington House.

The building, a former two-bedroom council house owned by Bolton at Home, has also been refurbished, in the hope it will encourage more people to use it.

Mrs Partington’s parents, children and grandchildren joined the Mayor of Bolton, Cllr Noel Spencer, representatives from Bolton at Home, and dozens of people she had worked with over the years for a special launch party in the house.

The building will be used by girls and women to access sessions covering DIY, sewing, healthy cooking and women’s health.

Funding of £32,000 has already been provided by the Home Office, with another £37,000 granted to pay a project co-ordinator.

Mrs Partington’s son, Simon, aged 44, said his mother would have been “proud”.

He added: “My mum spent a lot of her time here, working with the young people and this is such a lovely tribute. This is something she would never have expected.”

Louise Settle, who was aged just 13 when she first met Mrs Partington, said: “She changed my life for the better”.

Ms Settle, now aged 24, added: “She was passionate about the community and she cared about it.”

Cllr Spencer said it was a “fitting tribute for someone who has done so much for the community”.

“She was a real inspiration,”

he added.

Shauna Morton, Bolton At Home’s neighbourhood manager for Bolton South, said: “Christine would be absolutely delighted.”