Staghills Youth Shelter

Offenders supervised by probation are working hundreds of hours unpaid to benefit residents on the Staghills Estate in Rawtenstall by building a new weatherproof shelter for young people.

The youth shelter will be an excellent new amenity that everyone agrees is both much needed and will improve the community's environment and safety. It stems from local residents' concerns of juvenile nuisance and anti-social behaviour raised at a public meeting attended by about 150 people a few months ago.

Local councillors, youth workers and the police listened to the residents' concerns and encouraged more than 30 young people at the meeting to have their say. Residents backed a positive approach to provide youth facilities as a better idea than trying to disperse youngsters who so obviously needed a place to meet.

Police Officer Denise Barlow based with Rossendale Council's Community Safety Team co-ordinates the project and encouraged the local community, businesses and funding agencies to pull together to get the youth shelter project up and running. Denise said: "Residents of Staghills young and old, took the best decision to tackle what was a community nuisance problem - facing up to it and finding a positive solution. Young people on the estate will soon have somewhere to congregate in safety that is far enough away from other residents to avoid complaints about nuisance."