YOUNG people in the Winklebury suburb of Basingstoke have received a major boost with the provision of a drop-in centre to keep them off the streets.

The borough council has provided £30,000 over a period of two years to run the centre in the car park by Winklebury Playing Fields, off Winklebury Way.

Two portable cabins were delivered to the site on Wednesday, fitted out with computers, games machines, exercise equipment and a chill-out area with a sofa and television.

The centre, aimed at children aged 12 and over, will initially be open seven nights a week from 6pm to 10pm and will be supervised by one adult when it opens for the first time in the next couple of weeks.

The hours will be extended if there is sufficient demand. Plans are already underway for future events such as a disco and outdoor barbecue.

Harry Robinson, Winklebury ward councillor and vice-chairman of the Winklebury Youth Project, put in a bid to the borough to fund the facility. He was joined by the youth projects chairwoman Lea Jeff this week when the cabins were put in place.

Lea said: "We've got kids hanging about, playing football in the wrong places and doing silly things because they're bored. They're fed up so we decided to try very hard to give these kids something."

A management team will oversee the facil-ity. A spokesperson for the young users will also be part of the team and will put forward suggestions for what happens there.

"It's somewhere the kids can go and hang out in and be responsible for," said Lea.

"We're hoping it will be a long-term solution to a lot of problems and will benefit the kids."

Additional funding for the centre to keep it running will continue to be looked for, such as holding a sponsored car wash.