AFTER many years as a journalist it’s difficult to avoid becoming cynical and more than a little pessimistic about some of your fellow beings.

It is true that there are some extremely dedicated folk around who spend many hours each week working to improve their neighbourhoods without any expectation of financial reward.

But sadly they are in a dwindling minority.

Too many other adults focus all their time and energy on their own needs to the exclusion of even the people who live next door.

And a lot of these ‘grown-ups’ have spawned children who aren’t just oblivious of others – they also actively destroy community facilities.

What’s sparked this depressing tone is last week’s news from Darwen where yobs have vandalised a £55,000 outdoor gym – a week before it has even opened.

The Adidas branded AdiZone next to Darwen Valley community centre has several keep-fit stations and a basketball area.

It really is astonishing that the very people this place is aimed at are more than likely to be the very people who have tried to smash it up.

In the past few years I’ve been to other parts of the world, far poorer than Darwen, where exercise equipment is installed in public parks by international aid organisations and is truly treasured.

There just wouldn’t be any attempt to smash it up because no one thinks that way and I suspect anyone who did commit such a stupid act would be terrified about the potential reaction of the rest of their community.

Perhaps what’s needed are the sort of schemes that have been launched in Burnley thanks to the work of the Prince’s Trust in the past couple of years.

Boot camp-style courses pioneered in the town with the support of the army have proved so successful that they are being rolled out in Middlesbrough and the Potteries.

Aimed at ‘hard to reach’ youngsters and designed to broaden horizons, they have seen 22 out of 27 who took part go on into education or employment.

It’s not a soft option but it does seem to work. Let’s get the gloves off and the boots on in Darwen.