Ledbury Youth Centre is on schedule to re-open in April with a newly-trained team of up to ten adult volunteers.

In addition to the volunteers, a dedicated part-time officer will be assigned by Herefordshire Council to help boost youth provision in the town.

They will work 12.5 hours a week in town and another officer will be shared with Bromyard. One more paid youth worker could be assigned to Ledbury, if required.

The news has been welcomed by mayor Keith Francis, who has been spearheading the Ledbury Town Council campaign to get the youth centre re-opened for the purpose it was intended.

The building, off Bye Street, has stood empty for most of the past 12 months, having been used briefly as a needle exchange for heroin users last summer.

With the closure of the Grind Bar youth cafe in The Homend last year, there has been no obvious focus for youth provision in town, outside established sports clubs like the Ledbury Swifts football team.

The volunteers will now undertake 30 hours' training, starting in early March. It is hoped that enough of them will have completed the training in time for the re-launch of the centre.