AN ADVICE centre for youngsters in Dorchester is now opening its doors on Saturdays thanks to a £2,250 grant.

Routes, a drop-in service for young people aged 13 to 25, previously only opened on weekdays.

But now the centre has been able to extend its opening hours thanks to the cash from the Western Dorset Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership.

Dave Thompson - director of Dorset Youth Association, which co-ordinates projects at the centre - said staff were 'absolutely delighted' with the funding. He said: "Young people themselves were telling us they needed the service on Saturdays.

"There's very little provision of services for youngsters at the weekend in Dorchester."

Routes, based in North Square, provides an informal meeting place for young people, with a coffee bar and games room.

The centre, which relies on donations from charities including the Community Foundation Network, is used by agencies who work with troubled and vulnerable youngsters.

Mr Thompson said the cash injection would enable staff to develop the service even further. Young people have been involved in the design of our facilities, and we're getting them involved in the running of the place," he said.

"We've also got youngsters promoting the centre's new opening hours. It's a really positive thing, developing alternative activities for them."

He added: "We're so pleased we got the funding, because we hope it'll lead to many different things in the future.

"We want to help young people move on, and encourage them to take responsibility for themselves and others."

The move is a joint venture between Routes, Dorchester Police and the CDRP. Inspector Les Fry submitted the original funding bid.

"We're very pleased to be supporting Routes and the good work they do," he said.

"Having a place where young people can drop in and deal with any issues or problems they may have will in the end reduce antisocial behaviour problems in Dorchester.

"By working with our partners within the community we can make a big difference."

Geoff Gibbs, community safety team leader at West Dorset District Council, was part of the team that approved the funding.

"We were keen to put something back," he said. "It was a response to the community and young people, the evidence showed there wasn't much to do on Saturdays.

"We're accountable for the money so we have to set targets to ensure the project makes the benefit we expect."