A LONG AWAITED youth project in Callington which has been hailed as a great success is ready to launch its second phase tomorrow night (Friday) — a youth café.

The Callington and Saltash CATS (Community Action Through Sport) programme secured a £10,000 lottery grant last autumn to provide the Friday Night Project, following a consultation with students at the community college and Youth Cornwall.

The town hall venue has so far provided a gig night and X-Factor event which attracted in the region of 150 young people and with other 'big events' in the pipeline, CATS are now getting the youth café off the ground which will be held twice a month. It is aimed at 12 to 17-year-olds and will be open from 7pm to 9pm.

Providing a safe place to go on a Friday night the café will give young people the opportunity to gain access to the internet and have drinks and refreshments.

Lottery funding has paid for new equipment including leather sofas, a 42-inch plasma television and a Wii console. The CATS committee has also been supported by Tesco in Callington which will present a cheque tomorrow evening for the purchase of a new laptop.

Youngsters will also have the chance to get involved in volunteering, which is very much part of the CATS programme.

Michelle Roberts from CATS said young people would be involved in the planning, organising and effective running of the café. They will consult with young people on how future events are delivered.

'The Friday Night Project is really gathering momentum and we are very excited about launching this second phase,' she said.

Callington Town Council has provided free use of the café and it will be open on two Fridays a month with the Friday Night Project special event running once a month.

The next bash is a Valentine's Party planned for February 11 for young people aged 11 to 14 (Years 7 to 9) from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

Callington and Saltash CATS is a multi-agency programme which aims to provide positive activities for young people. Hundreds of children have become involved in helping their community through the scheme and are rewarded with sports vouchers.

CATS UK is now a national charity which was originally founded in Bude in 2005.