Tim Healy and Denise Welch help out youth service

Jan 25 2010 by Alastair Gilmour, The Journal

“Now lots of young people here find life very, very difficult. But the WEYES drop-in centre will be a fantastic place for those young people to come.”

Children North East chief executive Jeremy Cripps said: “We previously rented the building so we were unable to do anything to it. It had become a really horrible site – inside and out – needing a lot of work to make it a bright and welcoming place for young people.

“Children North East has since bought the building and now with the magnificent help of _space architecture we are really able to do things to make it look fabulous.”

Denise Welch is also proud of her association with the WEYES project and readily embraces the opportunity to work with some of the region’s most difficult-to-reach children.

She said: “I love being involved with Children North East and I love working with teenage groups. There are a lot of them like lost souls, but they’ve got a lot to give and life can be confusing for them.”

Space Group chief executive Rob Charlton said: “Children North East is our chosen charity, so we were only too pleased to donate all our services in kind because we know the project will make so much difference to the young people who live, work or go to school in the West End of Newcastle.

“_space architecture has fully completed the designs for the brighter and more up-to-date building and now _space build, the principal contractor for the project, is moving on site, which is really exciting.”

Children North East had to raise £300,000 to help the project come to life and to fund building materials.

To help support the WEYES project, donations are invited online at www.justgiving/weyes or at Children North East on 0191 256 2444.