Introducing the youth tube: £10,000 solar-powered shelter for youngsters

4:15pm Sunday 13th January 2008

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YOUTHS in Dines Green now have their own solar-powered place to hide from the miserable winter weather, following the construction of a £10,000 youth shelter.

The shelter was installed last week outside the Green Centre on Gresham Road, after months of hard work and fund-raising.

Its unusual youth tube' design - which incorporates a solar panel to power its lighting - was chosen by local youngsters.

The idea was the brainchild of Local Policing Officer Julie Merry, who was keen to try to tackle anti-social behaviour and residents' concerns that youngsters had nowhere to go.

LPO Merry said: "I wanted to provide the kids with a place to go, in order to try to alleviate some of the low-level anti-social behaviour taking place in the area. Groups of young people hanging around shops can be intimidating to others - even if the kids aren't doing anything wrong.

"The new shelter means these youngsters now have a place to congregate, away from the area's shops.

"They are not bad kids and just needed somewhere to call their own."

West Mercia Constabulary donated £2,000 of the cash, with Worcester City Council and Worcestershire County Council granting £3,000 each. The remaining £2,000 was gathered from various other small grants and donations.

The county council cash was pledged from the personal allowance of St John's Labour councillor Coun Richard Udall.

"Each county councillor gets £3,500 to spend supporting local youth projects in their area," he explained. "This was clearly a local priority as the issues involved affect everybody."

The shelter's official opening takes place today.