A MONTHLY dance dreamed up by five 16-year-olds which has been credited with keeping young people out of trouble kicks off its 2005 season tonight.

The Celler Project is a monthly get together for 13 to 17-year-olds which now attracts around 200 people.

Since it began in December 2003, police call-outs to anti-social and trouble hotspots in the city on the nights have fallen significantly.

Ann Nicholls, head of the Anti-Social Detached Team, a rapid response unit to incidents involving young people, said the entire project had been devised, managed and organised by the youngsters themselves.

"Though youth workers are on hand to oversee and offer advice where it's asked for, alcohol, drugs and smoking is banned, and police records show that incidents and call-outs throughout the city and on the estates are massively reduced," she said.

"The remarkable thing is that the young people have succeeded where the adults might not have had the same success.

The Celler Project came about because the youngsters were bored with nowhere to go and were tired of being branded troublemakers, she added.

"It's a terrific tribute to the youngsters themselves that with only minimal advice from adults over location, funding and security, they were able to form their own action group to provide suitable social activities for their friends, some of whom they'd seen descend into trouble for no reason other boredom," Ann added.

The running costs of the once-a-month Friday dances are met by the Safer Worcester Partnership - an association of individuals, organisations and community groups run in association with the city council and West Mercia police who will be monitoring the event.

Sgt Allen, the Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinator for South Worcestershire Police, said: "It's clear these monthly dances are providing a popular and well-organised event for our city's youngsters, and a pleasing drop in anti-social and disruptive incidents in the city has been noted around these times."

Tickets for the 7pm to 10pm event at Sansome Street Arts Workshop cost £3 on the door.