VOLUNTEERS rolled up their sleeves to help a charity get prepared for the refurbishment of its new building.

Project John is a supported housing project for young people which offers accommodation, training and support. The charity is going to be opening a new centre in Barrow to help young people.

Earlier in the year, the former Young's furniture store was bought with grant funding, donated by the Northern Rock Foundation.

Once renovated, the building in Cavendish Street, will be known as the The Hub and it will be a one-stop service for young people in the Furness area.

It will be a vital service set up to meet the needs of young people all under one roof, along with a coffee shop for members of the public.

The Project John team and tenants were joined by volunteers from different organisations to clear out the building ahead of the refurbishment. They included Barrow Raiders players, staff from Barclays Bank, Paul's Carpets, Colin Chatfield Instant Property Maintenance, Barrow Children's Trust, Cumbria County Council's Children's Services and others.

Nicola Kell, the manager of Project John thanked everyone who gave up their time to help and Sinkfall for discounting their skips.

Miss Kell said: “We are very grateful to the Northern Rock Foundation, who without we would not have been able to purchase the building, and to the Sir John Fisher Foundation and Cumbria County Council whose funding is enabling us to renovate the building.

“The major partners who will be joining us at the new hub include Cumbria County Council’s Children’s Services, CAB, Barrow Dads Group, Mind in Furness, Barrow Food Bank, but I am sure there will be many more. The Project will be called The Hub."

Steve Meyer from Craig and Meyer Architects has creatively designed The Hub, incorporating the views and needs of young people.

Project John aims to have The Hub open in December 2017.