A Stockton children’s centre is looking spick and span after a team of young volunteers stepped up to give the facility a speedy makeover.

In just two weeks the youngsters, who are all unemployed and currently taking part in Stockton Riverside College’s Prince’s Trust Team programme, transformed The Star Centre’s indoor and outdoor play areas.

With £500 funding from Endeavour Housing, plus a further £100 from Barclays, the students were able to add a sand pit and ball pool, while outside they painted equipment in the play area and created a sensory area, mud kitchen and bug hotel.

“The students have worked really hard,” said Stockton Team leader Melisa Marsden. “Through hard work and determination they have managed to not only transform the inside of the centre but the outside as well.”

Laura Provett, Service Manager at The Star Centre, said: “The changes are fantastic and the Prince’s Trust Team should be very proud of what they have personally achieved, especially with the timescale and money they had available to them.”

The Prince’s Trust Team is a free 12-week personal development course for unemployed young people, aged 16 to 25, helping to build their confidence and skills, through a variety of tasks and challenges.

The project at The Star Centre on Stockton’s Bath Lane offered the opportunity for the young people to give something back to the community while developing new skills.

Team member Anne-Marie Ellis, 24, from Stockton, chose to take part in the course to help build her confidence with a view to going on to find work.

She said: “It has definitely worked. The course has really helped me, working with different people and gaining new skills.”

As for the community project she said: “It has been hard work but in the end we got a good result and it’s really rewarding.”

Fellow Team member, Ryan Chaytor, 19, from Billingham, said the best things about the course are the friendships you build and the team work. Of the work at the children’s centre he added: “It’s good to see the difference that we have made.”

The Star Centre hosts parent and child play sessions with crèche provision for those parents who wish to attend training courses within the centre. It also offers opportunities to families and children to progress with a range of courses and a volunteering programme available to support individuals to gain new skills ready for work.

Stockton Riverside College delivers the Prince’s Trust Team programme at locations across the region, for more information visit www.stockton.ac.uk/princes-trust/ or call 01642 865 566.