Young people have been thanked for helping to clean up a garden at one of the largest community centres in Lancashire.

Earlier in the year, Bangor Street Community Centre wanted to restore the centre’s garden area by jet-washing the entrance, painting the disabled walkway and painting some of the indoor community rooms.

Child Action Northwest (CANW) provide a service of Statutory Reparation and are partnered with Blackburn with Darwen Youth Justice Service. They are working alongside communities, police and young people to 'break the cycle between adversity and anti-social behaviour'. 

A team from the service stepped forward and helped to clear the garden and pathways.

Reparation lead worker of CANW, Trevor Hannon, said: ‘’We work with a child first-trauma informed led approach, by understanding that a child’s early-life experiences can have a profound impact on how they view and see the world. 

"This means that a traumatic moment or series of moments, regardless of what developmental stage it occurs at, can go on to impact a child’s behaviour in a number of different and varied ways. 

"Giving children and young people new skills and educating them around the consequences of their behaviour is extremely rewarding both personally and for the wider communities that we serve. 

"It is very much a group effort between us at CANW, Blackburn with Darwen Youth Justice Service and the hosts from Bangor Street.” 

The area was washed and cleared of rubbish and overgrown plants

Centre manager Ali Hussain, said: “A huge thank you to the team for clearing a large section of our community garden and space around the building. 

"The centre is used by hundreds of people each week and the community garden will soon be used as part of a day care centre for the elderly in the coming months. 

"The team have been really professional and have made a huge difference to the centre. We have had a lot of positive feedback from our attendees.” 

Bangor Street Community Centre is managed by Bangor Street Limited; a non-profit company who look to promote the cultural and educational development of young people, including their physical education through sporting activities.