VOLUNTEERS at the Marlborough Youth Centre are looking to save the centre following the most recent cuts to services by Wiltshire Council.

The centre in St Margaret's Mead, which has been a well-used hub for a number of years, still holds value for the volunteers who use it on a weekly basis. The volunteers that use the space are currently looking at the options in hopes that the centre will be taken on from Wiltshire Council.

Justin Cook, volunteer at a weekly youth group, said: “As a volunteer working under Lisa Farrell it's so rewarding to see the youth starting to trust and flourish through the MCYP structure and it would be heart-breaking to see all the good work the team have put in over the last year to go to waste. The idea of the youth centre being sold off to a developer would rip the heart out of the community and its youth.”

With the option for the centre to be taken up by the town, the Town Council is said to be interested in keeping the centre in use.

Mr Cook added: “There seems to be a golden opportunity to really take on the youth centre through a community trust, set up and made up from members of the town.

“Marlborough Town Council have registered their interest in a possible CAT transfer of the centre but it's vital for us as the community to get our ducks in a row prior to this approach making any traction.”

Currently there are three options available for the future of the building, firstly the building could be sold to a developer, possibly including the surrounding land which is owned by Wiltshire Council. Another option could see Wiltshire Council keeping the building and developing it into a hub to join council services together.

After the withdrawal of Wiltshire Council’s youth services last year, with the number of youth workers being cut from 150 to 18, the future of the youth centre has been passed over to the community via the Area Boards.

The building which sits by the recreation ground, known as the former youth centre, still hosts regular youth club meetings with five groups still using the area including Barnardo’s Phoenix Club, the Marlborough Community Youth Project and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award scheme.

A spokesman from Wiltshire Council said: “The costs of maintaining and running the building considerably outweighs the income received from hiring fees and the repair costs over the last 12 months or so have risen sharply.”