A lottery grant of more than £50,000 will allow a Colchester youth club to open more often.
Two new adult supervisors will be recruited after the Greenstead Youth Cafe won £52,100 from the Big Lottery Fund.
The group of about 25 committed members has, for just over a year, been holding hour-long meetings after school on Fridays at Greenstead community centre.
Extended sessions will now run several nights a week, and it is hoped the club will soon become a regular safe haunt for hundreds of teenagers from the estate.
The cash boost will also fund new equipment, including a computer and pool table, and youngsters will have a budget to organise monthly events.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article