WORK on a youth centre and drop-in cafe is due to start next month after overcoming the final funding hurdle.

The YMCA in Barnard Castle has been awarded a £39,000 grant from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

The money will be used for the refurbishment of its former charity shop in the town's Galgate.

When complete, the £150,000 youth centre will boast an Internet cafe, music systems, televisions and video games, with rooms for meetings and project work.

The YMCA is exploring the possibility of opening another shop in Barnard Castle if suitable premises can be found.

Building work will begin on March 20 and is expected to take about 20 weeks.

During this time the YMCA offices will move to Barnard Castle Methodist Church.

Tracy Blandford, YMCA project manager, said: "I took up the post in May 2005, part-funded by ERDF funding, with the aim to raise enough money to redevelop the building into a drop-in caf for young people and begin developing YMCA services in Teesdale.

"The work we have undertaken in such as short space of time is amazing.

"Managing to raise all the money to redevelop the building, developing many youth work projects and building up some strong working partnerships is just better than I could ever have imagined when I began working here.

"There was never really a definite timescale, but it has happened quicker than we expected it would.

"A lot of the young people have heard it talked about for a lot of years, but have never quite believed it would happen.

"All the equipment and all the activities in the centre were their idea and even the original concept of the centre was their idea."

This latest grant follows a £60,000 donation from the Northern Rock Foundation.

There was also £25,000 from the Garfield Weston Foundation, £7,500 from the Movement Trust Fund and £1,000 from the Teesdale Task Force.

The remaining amount came from smaller individual donations and the YMCA's own coffers.