YOUNG offenders rehabilitation charity C-FAR celebrated its first year at Burdon Grange, Highampton, last week, with a garden party and fund-raising drive.

Star guest at the anniversary celebrations last Wednesday, (April 23) was celebrity fund-raiser Sir Jimmy Savile, who described the charity?s work as ?amazing?.

TV and radio veteran Sir Jimmy said he had become involved in supporting C-FAR ? the Centre for Adolescent Rehabilitation ? ?immensely worthwhile?.

Sir Jimmy first visited C-FAR two years ago, when they were still based at Okehampton Camp. The invitation was extended by Col Trevor Philpott because of Jimmy?s Royal Marine connections ? he was the first civilian to be awarded the Royal Marine?s green beret.

?I met all the trainees and what really impressed me was they are all as proud of this place as Col Philpott and his team. That is very rare for this sort of place,? he said.

Sir Jimmy said he had enjoyed visiting Okehampton in the morning before coming to Burdon Grange.

?It is the first time I have been able to spend a morning there and it surpassed all my expectations. It is obviously a very beautiful place and the people are even more beautiful. All I saw were smiles,? he said.

Many of the trainees at the centre took time out from their courses to show visitors around the site. Frank, originally from Bristol, who said he had previously been in trouble for violence and handling stolen goods, was one of the trainees in the early stages of the C-FAR programme.

?I have learnt more in three weeks here than in seven months in prison,? he said.

Frank said he was attending courses from early in the morning until late at night in a wide variety of subjects from English, to experimental thinking to anger management, and had also recently been on an expedition to Dartmoor.

Frank said the staff at the centre kept the courses interesting for the trainees and treated them with respect, which made them more committed to the programme.

?If I didn?t come here, I would just be in jail, sitting around in my cell, not doing anything or learning anything,? he said.

C-FAR chief executive Trevor Philpott thanked those who had attended and shown their support for what the centre was trying to achieve.

?It is now five and a half years since C-FAR as an idea was initially born. Some people said it would never happen, but it has, and that is because of a lot of hard work from everyone,? he said.

Col Philpott said C-FAR offered an alternative to the prison system, which did not seem to be working.

Cllr Denis Bater, mayor of Hatherleigh said it was good that C-FAR gave young people a ?second chance in life?, and he felt more young offenders? centres would follow the example of C-FAR.

Okehampton mayor Christine Marsh said: ?I just wish C-FAR every success and I am glad they have got a permanent place now to realise all their ambitions.?

Not everyone was celebrating the first anniversary though, signs had been put up in the village of Highampton, by residents bearing messages demonstrating their opposition to the centre.

One aim of the garden party was to encourage South West business leaders to support the pioneering work being carried out and recognise the economic advantages of the project.

C-FAR faces a huge gap in its budget ? the centre has only received £160,000 from the Criminal Justice System and needs another £700,000 to continue operating in the coming year.

Tim Jones, of Devon and Cornwall Business Council is urging business in the area to get behind the scheme.