A NEW £100,000 venue for the young community of Lytchett Minister to use has been blessed by the Bishop of Sherborne.

Based in the car park of the parish church on Dorchester Road, the Youth Cafe was dedicated by Rt Rev Dr Graham Kings to a crowd of church members and young people.

They cheered and clapped in delight at the latest stage of the venue’s creation, which has come about thanks to £73,000 of donations from the church community and £30,000 from the Talbot Village Trust.

Chris Trent, youth minister of Lytchett Minster Parish Church, said that the venue will allow young people in the area to have a safe place to meet together, as well as providing a base for workshops and events.

He added: “I have been here three years and when I first came here, it was a derelict building.

“The idea is that the young people will come out from the nearby school and come into the Youth Cafe on evenings and weekends.

“We will also hold workshops where the young people can learn about leadership, presentation, budget and life skills, as well as training them up to be bar tenders and to have catering skills.

“This will be for, and run by, the young people.

“In the daytime, we also have Out and About, which is for people with learning disabilities and we hope that they will use the venue as well.”

Chris said that when the venue opens after Easter, it will be totally open to the community, regardless of whether they attend Lytchett Minster Parish Church and St Dunstan’s in Upton.

The Bishop of Sherborne, Rt Rev Dr Graham Kings, said that Sunday was about dedicating and praying for the new venue.

He added: “I am delighted to have a centre for the young people in the community in Lytchett Minster.”