LIKE a 'phoenix rising from the ashes', Tavistock Youth Café is set to have a new home after almost a year with no fixed base. Following the demolition of its dilapidated building on Pixon Lane in September last year, the youth café has been without a premises, but now new units are currently being built on the same plot, two of which are set to be housed by the youth café — thanks to the help of a generous benefactor. Jeremy Fox, chief executive of Claro Learning, a company that provides a range of services to support adults with disabilities, has offered to pay for a 25-year lease for one of the units, calling it 'a contribution from the company to support the well-being of the young people in Tavistock'. The youth café will also rent one of the units, so the group will have plenty of space from which to run the service. Tavistock Youth Café manager Vicki Lloyd said: 'After all this time and after everything that's happened, it is amazing that we will have a new base. 'We will have a really good amount of space. We'll still have to pay for one unit so will need to find external funding, but it means that whatever happens, we will definitely have one unit for the next 25 years. 'We hope to have a provision that will allow user groups, bands and musicians, young people and volunteers a safe and vibrant space to thrive. 'I'm really pleased there is going to be continuing youth provision in Tavistock and very excited that the youth café will be back up and running as it has always been an asset to young people.' Although the youth café will have a base, the units will be empty, so community help and funding will be needed to get the buildings up and running. Vicki said: 'We would welcome any help from the community. 'We need a kitchen and fixtures and fittings, and it would be great if any builders were happy to volunteer their time to help us get fitted out.' Chair of Tavistock Youth Café board of directors Mandy Ewings said she was really pleased to have a new base: 'I remember saying when we left the old building that people would be able to watch the youth café rise again, like the phoenix rising from the ashes, and now we are. Everyone is working incredibly hard to make this happen. 'Devon County Council has been helpful and understand that we won't be going to the building at Abbey Rise, and there are a number of grants that we are able to apply for from the county council. 'That corner on Pixon Lane has looked quite redundant and now it will be given a new lease of life and will look vibrant. 'We will be back to the "youth corner" with the skate park and the BMX track nearby. 'The young people know the area well and they will now have somewhere that is theirs and that was our main aim.' It is hoped the building of the units will be finished in November but it may be longer before the youth café is up and running, due to the need for fitting the units out and finding funding for running costs. Vicki Lloyd expressed thanks to Jeremy Fox for the generous donation, to Peter Harding of Fairway Furniture for storing the youth café furniture for free, to Andy Boyle of Dartmoor Cycles and Steve Wilson of Lifer BMX for their support and contribution of time to help with the youth café's BMX trails in the Meadows and to the board of directors who have worked extremely hard since September to get to this point. She also thanked Ben Neal of HQ Bar for allowing the youth café band 3s A CroWd to host an open mic night at the bar once a month and for contributing money to the youth café at the end of each open mic evening. Anyone who feels they could help Tavistock Youth Café in any way can contact Vicki on [email protected]">[email protected] or 07800813667.