Glace Bay church reborn as youth centre

Glace Bay is celebrating the opening of a major youth centre at the site of the formerEpworthUnited Church.

The project began seven years ago when a volunteer group acquired the former church in Cape Breton. The group's goal was to fight addiction and alcohol abuse among young people by providing an alternative location to hang out.

"This is my favourite:the kitchen. This used to be a hole in the wall," Stacey Scott, Undercurrent Youth Centre's co-ordinator, said Sunday as she showedvisitors what's been done with the building.

Project leader and pastor David Sawler said it's a desperately needed resource in a town where youth don't have enough opportunity for recreation.

"We don't have a movie theatre, pools all those things that other communities this size would have so we have a lot of young people who are just bored," he said.

The unfinished centre has been drawing 300 young people a week.

Thecentre includes:

• A gameroom.
• A gym.
• Indoor skateboarding.
• A climbing wall.
• Space and equipment for making music.

Sawler said there is still a lot of work to be done.

'It's pretty cool'

Madison Penney, 13, said she's made the centre part of her young life.

"It's pretty cool. If you have nothingto do, I like coming here," Penney said.

Ann Johnston attended the old church and was married in it. She was happy to see its new life.

"It's really good for the children. It's good to know that there's some place like this that they can come," she said.