Eleven young people from Bristol have received national recognition for "raising the bar" on a city centre youth project.

The £5-million project based in Broadmead's Old Fire Station will bring a state-of-the-art performance, media and cycle centre.

Young people from The Station spent the day in London with Bristol South MP Dawn Primarolo celebrating their success along with hundreds of people taking part in the 62 government-funded MyPlace projects across the UK.

Joel Rundle, 17, is one of the group. He said: "I feel proud to be part of such a big investment in young people in Bristol, it's really exciting to see our plans starting to take shape."

The MyPlace scheme gives groups across the country a chance to build high quality youth projects that set new standards of excellence.

Ms Primarolo said: "Young people will have the chance to take part in exciting activities, offering a real alternative to hanging around on the street. It will mean young people can socialise with each other in a safe environment, gain new skills, and get support and advice they need on issues that are important to them."

Services for young people including training and employment will also be available at The Station, which is on target to open in the summer of 2011.

The event was organised by the Sorrell Foundation, who bring top international architects and designers and young people together to develop high quality buildings for young people.