A YOUTH project is taking steps to realise its dreams of owning a permanent centre.

Callington Youth Project Group (CYPG), which meets at The Vault in Fore Street, hopes either to buy the building it rents – or to create a completely new building on the New Road car park.

The Vault (formerly Lloyds Bank) building has flats on the upper floors, kept empty over the last 30 to 40 years when the bank was operating, says CYPG chairman Paul Carey.

Should the youth project buy the property, the plan would be to refurbish these flats to provide an ongoing income for the charity. The total costs would be around £400,000.

Oddly though, says Paul, it can be easier to secure £1-million in grant funding to construct a new build, than to obtain half that amount to renovate an existing building.

Cornwall Council has agreed to let the youth project have a section of the New Road car park, and there have been been meetings with an architect to enable the young people to put forward the layout and facilities they’d like to see included.

There are pros and cons to both plans from the trustees’ point of view: staying put means the sessions can keep operating from their current base and the continuing running costs would be met by the rental income from the flats on the upper floors. Creating somewhere new would provide a modern, tailor-made youth centre as an asset for Callington and the surrounding area.

Currently, up to 35 young people attend each of the two weekly sessions, but this number is ever-growing as the word spreads.

“The idea for a youth project began when my partner Sarah and I realised that there wasn’t much for young people to do – especially those who don’t really want to go to Scouts, Guides, football training or other organised activities like that,” Paul explains.

“We started taking Sarah’s daughter and a few of her friends to Livewire in Saltash.”

As more youngsters asked to come along, Paul and Sarah got a grant for £500 and borrowed a minibus to do the Livewire run, and this led eventually to the purchase of the group’s own minibus, and registering as a charity.

“We thought we couldn’t keep shipping people to Saltash and so I went round and looked at every empty property in Callington.

“Then we heard Lloyds Bank were leaving. We took on the lease in February and starting operating in April.”

Six trustees now work together, alongside volunteers and paid youth workers who run the free sessions on Wednesday and Friday evenings 4pm to 7pm. Monday night trips to Saltash Livewire continue, leaving St Mary’s Square at 6.30pm and returning around 10pm.

The youth project has also run trips in school holidays to places like the Mount Batten Watersports Centre, and will once again support some of its young people to learn fire juggling skills for Callington’s winter festival event, Kelliwik Golowi.

I arrived at The Vault part way through a Friday evening as Paul was going through the electricity costs for the centre on his laptop, getting up from his seat near the doorway to greet youngsters as they came in.

He showed me how local tradespeople, businesses and organisations have given time, money, materials, furniture and equipment to kit out the lower floor of the building.

From the pool table, table tennis and table football, to the sofas and playstation, tables and chairs in the centre’s cafe area, through to the great array of electric guitars, drums and speakers, all has been donated.

It feels very happy and relaxed the night I arrive. Some of the young people are taking part in a game, running from room to room in the centre, a couple are setting up instruments to play, a few are round a table eating and playing chess and others are just chilling in a cosy area.

Fourteen-year-old Scarlett has been coming almost since The Vault opened.

“I come here pretty much every Wednesday and some Fridays, it’s a really good environment, we come here just to take a break and it’s just a good vibe.

“Before I started coming here I literally had nowhere to go and nothing to do after school. My week has just become a lot better and it’s something to look forward to.

“I’ve had some big problems going on in my life, but being here has helped me to get through them. This place is so supportive of everyone no matter what their background, and inclusive.”

Cara, 14, says that the watersports trip in the holidays helped people to get closer to the new friends they’d made through coming to The Vault.

“We’re planning a Halloween party and everyone gets a say in what happens, we’ve all got a part in it.

“Being here has helped me improve my social skills. I didn’t used to like to talk to people, but now I’m doing performances at school.”

Brodie, 15, says he enjoys spending time with his friends at the centre.

“I don’t think I’d have made the new friends that I have made if I hadn’t come here.

“It improves my school week. I get my head away from the stress of what’s coming up. And the support workers are adults that you can really talk to.”

Nathalie is one of several youth workers from Action for Children employed by CYPG to run sessions.

“It’s important to have a place like this, it’s somewhere where they can gather and meet their friends. Some of the young people come in from the villages and especially for young people living in a rural community, it stops them from feeling isolated.”

The youth worker’s role, as well as organising varied games and activities, is to offer information and advice to help young people to make informed choices.

“A lot of young people might not have adults in their lives that they can really trust and talk to. Having that space where they can get an adult perspective is really useful, and a platform where they can say how they feel and what they want.

“Here is also a safe place where they can be themselves without any judgement.”

Ruth, a physiotherapist, is taking a year out from her job in the NHS and loves her volunteering role at The Vault.

“I just wanted to do something completely different, and I was quite interested in talking with young people about food. I’ve done some workshops with some of the older ones who were going off to uni, about budgeting and making meals.”

Ruth says that a lot of conversations with young people come out naturally when they’re in the kitchen making a snack.

“It’s good for them to have a place where they can be themselves and feel safe.”

Paul, who fits in a full-time job alongside campaigning and volunteering roles, says that the youth project and The Vault centre are a team effort.

“It’s a lot of work but it’s very satisfying to see things being done and to create something for young people in Callington.

“The volunteers are all doing it for free because they want to and they see it making a difference.”