A TEESSIDE social club has just completed a £1m extension to attract young people.

Members of believe their future lifeblood is in the hands of today's young people who need to be attracted to social club life.

The extension to the Dorman Long United Athletic Club, in Middlesbrough, includes a family room, games room - complete with pool, snooker, and electronic games as well as a 240-seat function suite.

Club secretary Derek Tattersfield, a committee member for almost 40 years, said: "We have been a family oriented club for many years now, but we felt the time was right to reinforce the message to the whole community.

"We celebrated our centenary two years ago, but you cannot live on past tradition. If we are to continue for another 100 years we need to be attracting a new generation of club members.

"Historically, young people have thought of a social club as somewhere only their parents would go, with one of the main activities being bingo. We have set out to change these perceptions and make it attractive to all age groups."

The club, in Oxford Road, Linthorpe, was originally exclusively for employees of the then enormously successful Dorman Long steelworks, but now the company has closed, it belongs to the community, and boasts a 5,000-strong membership.