A NEW youth club has been set up in Hoddlesden after a year of campaigning.

Hoddlesden Youth Group, which will be based at the Carus Centre, is aimed at stopping anti-social behaviour in the village by youngsters aged 11 to 17.

While the area is not a hotspot for the problem, there have been recent reports of gangs of youths congregating and scuffling outside the Ranken Arms, and throwing missiles from the tram shed.

A former youth group closed down in September 2008 because of a lack of volunteers and problem behaviour, and organiser Bert Clarke says it has been missed.

He said: “Kids see the lights on in the Carus Centre and come up to us asking when the group is reopening.

“It’s taken a year of organising to get volunteers, but now we have seven and it officially opens on December 3.

“This group is for the kids of East Rural, not for those in other parts of Darwen. There’s not a lot for them to do around here and it’s a good way to keep them off the streets at night.

“Kids will be kids and if there’s nothing to keep them occupied, then they will get into nuissance.

“We want to concentrate on the older age group first, and then when we’ve got up and running, we can look to expand to cater for younger children.”

Open on a Thursday night from 7pm to 9pm, the group will offer up to 20 youths a chance to meet up, do crafts, play pool and table tennis, and have access to the internet.

Mark Wilson, neighbourhood policing sergeant for Darwen, said that officers would look to get involved in the project.

He said: “We’re 110 per cent behind projects like this.

“Anything that gets kids off the streets and doing something constructive will result in anti-social behaviour dropping off and making life more postive for residents.”

Registration runs on December 3 at the Carus Centre between 7.15pm and 9.15pm.