A transformed "bright and vibrant" young people’s centre in Penzance will officially open its doors on Tuesday.

The centre in Penzance’s Alverton Road has been transformed from a rather dull office space  thanks to a cash injection from Cornwall Council.

A special Welcome Event is being staged at 6pm on March 12, where guests will be able to look around the transformed building and talk to some of the young people who use it.

Marilyn Walton, Cornwall Council’s youth work co-ordinator at the centresaid: ”To be honest before we moved downstairs to street level and refurbished the space many young people probably passed it by and didn’t realise what it was, or took one look and decided that it was some form of boring office and not for them.

“Since we have brightened and opened up the space we have seen a fourfold increase in the number of young people using the facilities and we hope that from today even more will see it as their centre and make use of it on a regular basis”.

The centre now boasts café style seating in the window and a lounge area where young people can meet, have a coffee and chat to their friends or talk to one of the youth workers who are on hand to offer help and advice.

The next phase of the project will see the upper floor changed into a space which can be used for a range of activities, including cooking once the new kitchen facilities have been installed.

Young people who currently use the centre will be completing some of the redecoration themselves, including transforming the once institutional colour of the stairway into a colourful art mural with the support of local artist John Mckenzie.

The centre will also be open in the evenings, to "better suit young people’s lifestyles"  rather than the traditional office hours of opening.  The facility will be open to everyone on Friday nights, while Monday to Thursday evenings it will be used as a base for Penwith Community Development Trust’s youth outreach workers.

Neil Burden, Cornwall Council’s portfolio holder for children’s services, added “This project has taken a long time to come to fruition but I am delighted this much needed centre for Penzance has undergone such a transformation. It is clear that the money that we have invested in the centre has been put to good use and I am sure the new facility will prove popular with young people. ”.