WORK is well underway for improvements to make a vibrant youth centre the 'finest in the area'.

A partnership between the Earley Charity, Catalyst Housing Association and Reading Borough Council is to transform Amersham Road's Community Centre.

Builders are already on site starting the work which is set to be completed in about three months time, and a grand re-opening is planned for the autumn.

The centre will receive a £540,000 extension and refurbishment following an agreement between Reading Borough Council and the Earley Charity.

Councillor Liz Terry, lead member for Neighbourhoods, said: “Residents in the Amersham Road area are keen to see their community centre upgraded and for it to become an attractive space for a wide range of activities.

"The arrangement reached between the Council and the Earley Charity will allow this to happen."

The Council has been working closely with Earley Charity and the local community to find a way to upgrade the existing building and provide the best service for the local area.

A total of £75,000 has been committed by the Council to cover this work and existing repair and maintenance costs, Earley Charity will invest £540,000 to give the centre a new reception area, meeting space and a café.

Deborah Jenkins, Earley Charity’s Community Development Committee said: “The Earley Charity already supports the CResCent Resource Centre in Earley and we look forward to the opening of the new centre in Amersham Road, bringing similar high-quality community facilities to an area where they are very much needed.

“We are signing up to a 30-year agreement, to give local people certainty that their splendid new centre will be serving the area long into the future.”

The building work is expected to be completed in July.