ORGANISERS of a centre for young people in Ferryhill are still searching for a qualified youth worker to help run it.

Ferryhill Town Council advertised the post of project co-ordinator two months ago, but have not had any inquiries from a suitably qualified person.

Work on the e.caf, much of which has been done by young people themselves, is almost complete. But it will not be able to be used to its full potential until a qualified worker is appointed to organise activities there.

The post has been advertised at £6.50 an hour, funded by a grant from the UK Online initiative.

A proposal to increase the salary to £8.50 an hour, bringing it into line with other similar posts, was made at a recent meeting of the town council.

But members rejected the idea and decided to continue to advertise at the lower rate. The position will be reviewed in a month.

Councillor Bernie Lamb, leader of the council, said: "We thought at this time that the £6.50 that has been awarded towards the project is sufficient."

The facility, which is being housed in a refurbished electrical store in the Market Place, came about as a direct result of a town appraisal carried out by the Ferryhill Community Partnership.

There will be a youth caf serving tea, coffee and soft drinks, a lounge area with a pool table and table-tennis, a seating area and sound system and a computer suite with Internet access.

During the day, the caf will be used by the Impact group, which provides education for children facing exclusion from school.

Now members of the steering committee are putting the finishing touches to the building. It is hoped that the caf, which has cost £150,000 to develop, will be open soon.

Coun Lamb said: "It is looking quite good. The children have put a lot of work into it and it has been an excellent project by the town council."

Anyone interested in applying for the position of project co-ordinator, who should preferably have information technology skills, can contact Ferryhill Town Council on (01740) 652157