A COMMUNITY group in Weymouth is hoping to transform a disused nursery into a bustling youth club.

Southill Play Area Recreation for Kids (SPARK) is an initiative launched by mums Helen Lainsbury and Sarah Polkinghorne in 2011, to develop recreational facilities for young people and to improve the communal areas for the benefit of the whole community.

Last year, SPARK stepped in to save Southill Youth Centre on Radipole Lane, which was thrown into uncertainty in January after Dorset County Council voted to withdraw funding.

The youth centre was transformed into Southill Community Health and Wellbeing Centre, and offers space for local groups to organise activities and events.

In efforts to continue improving the community SPARK is now hopeful in taking over the Kids R Us building, located next to the wellbeing centre, and transform it into a community youth centre.

As a first step, SPARK has organised a clear out day on Tuesday, April 18 from 10am to 2pm to tidy up the site and raise interest in the project. The group is also hosting an Easter egg hunt from 10am to 12pm.

Pete Barrow from SPARK, who is helping to lead the project said: “Kids R Us has ceased trading last summer and the future of the building is uncertain if we cannot keep it going as a youth club. We hope to involve local young people in all stages of the project and in running the club once it’s open.

“It was suggested that we could take over the Kids R Us as otherwise it could be left to become derelict and an eyesore.

“The old youth club is now running as a wellbeing centre so the suggestion is that we take of the Kids R Us building and we run it as a youth club.

“It should be for young people, run by young people - under adult supervision. But the first step is to raise awareness of what we are trying to do. We need to raise some interest before we take the next step and that is what Tuesday is all about and then we can go from there. Kidz R Us closed about six months ago.

“The land is owned by the borough but the building is still owner by the person who ran the pre-school so we would need to negotiate with the council and the previous owner. For more information search SPARK on Facebook.