THE first paint brush has been lifted towards the refurbishment of a popular Southampton youth club.

Millbrook Youth Club in the grounds of Millbrook Community School in Green Lane, Millbrook, has been awarded a £68,000 regeneration grant to fund major renovation works.

The makeover will provide increased facilities and activities for young people including an Internet caf and a base for the Millbrook Young People's Forum.

Iane Ames, from the Outer Shirley Regeneration Programme, said the grant was awarded to fund internal alterations, refurbishment and redecoration to help improve the building, provide disabled access and expand the range of activities, facilities and services that are on offer to young people.

She added: "Outer Shirley Regen-eration is committed to improving life for young people.

"By investing in Millbrook Youth Centre - a building which is very dated and in need of improvement - we hope that the youth provision in the area will expand and that more young people will be attracted to visit the new-look youth club and get involved."

When the refurbishment work is completed, the centre will house the West Southampton Area Youth Office, Millbrook Young People's Forum, The Urban Challenge Project - a social education schools project that works with youngsters who are struggling to hold a place in school, the base of HYPE - the city youth service publication that provides a voice for young people and Youthnet Southampton Inter-net caf.

Jane Smith, Outer Shirley youth co-ordinator, said: "We are very excited about the development of the Internet caf at Millbrook Youth Centre which will provide a network of communication between youth centres in the city through web cams and the Inter-net."

She added: "Youth workers will be running IT and Internet workshops to make sure that young people can use the equipment which will help to establish communication links across Southampton.

"This is a very significant project for Millbrook.

"Young people in the area have been asking for new youth facilities for some time now, and the newly refurbished club will provide a central focus for youth activities in the neighbourhood and, I hope, will be a starting point for bigger and better project in the future."

Millbrook Youth Club is expected to reopen in May.