FOUR enterprising teenagers have realised their ambition to create a meeting place for young people in their village.

Nadine Maddison, Sophie Price, Shauna Flower and Laura Thompson developed the idea for a youth shelter in South Hetton, and then raised the money to fund it.

The 15-year-olds joined forces with the police, South Hetton Parish Council, South Hetton Partnership and Easington District Council to secure the youth focal point in the village's Front Street.

Police community support officer Jane Clawson, of Easington neighbourhood policing team, said: "The work to introduce the youth shelter has helped strengthen the relationship between the young people and the organisations involved. The four girls who managed the project should be very proud, as the shelter will be enjoyed by future generations as well as their own."

She added: "We hope it not only provides a safe place for young people to meet, but can also help to reduce anti-social behaviour and fear of crime in the community."

The idea of the shelter was first raised when children in South Hetton were invited to meet police officers at a residents' consultation event focusing on anti-social behaviour.

After teenagers told officers they had nowhere to meet, the police agreed to work with them to find a solution.

The quartet staged a number of successful events to raise £10,500 before applying for assistance from Durham County Council's Youth Opportunity Fund (YOF).

Jon Niblo, from the YOF, said: "The youth shelter fits perfectly with one of the main aims of the fund, which is to provide better quality places for young people to go."

The group is now raising more money to landscape the area around the shelter.