A KINGSWOOD youth centre has reopened after undergoing a £200,000 revamp.

The Kingsway Youth Centre in Kennard Rise is being run by youth organisation the Kingswood Foundation, which has a 25-year lease of the building from Bristol City Council.

City councillor Simon Cook and representatives from the Cabot Learning Federation and the Kingswood Foundation officially opened the newly refurbished centre yesterday.

The centre will be available to hire for community groups and will be used by neighbouring John Cabot Academy. It will be used as a venue for the creative youth activities that the Kingswood Foundation manages on its adjacent estate, such as Arts4Life, Urban Academy and the Youth4Youth project. The refurbishment was funded by the Social Enterprise Investment Fund, and new equipment was paid for by the Youth Opportunity Fund and the St George Neighbourhood Partnership Small Grants Fund.

The Kingswood Boxing Club has been given a new home in the centre. The new centre also has an activities hall, seminar rooms, lounge area, computer suite, offices and kitchen. There is also a hard-court sports area outside.

Sandy Hore-Ruthven, chief executive of the Kingswood Foundation, said: "We're extremely proud that another one of our major building projects has reached completion and very excited about what this means for young people in the area.

"There'll be loads of opportunities for them to get involved with activities out of school time and hopefully actively engage its it development as a youth resource for them themselves."

The ethos of inspiring young people underpins the Kingswood Foundation's work – and they organise everything from music events to short film projects and graffiti projects.

Last month the foundation opened a newly refurbished arts complex called Studio 5 on their estate in Britannia Road.

For more information on the Kingswood Foundation, visit website www.kingswood- foundation.org.uk.