Kaleidoscope Centre open following £50,000 transformation

Budding young rock gods and goddesses are queuing up to use a refurbished state-of-the-art multi media centre in Blackburn. The Kaleidoscope Centre in Higher Croft is preparing to officially reopen following a £50,000 transformation funded by a Government Youth Capital Fund (YCF) grant.

The Kaleidoscope Centre now boasts a brand new performance stage and practise rooms, alongside the existing 16 track recording studio and Apple Mac video editing suite. The venue, which also opens as a youth club two nights a week, will be open every night as a drop-in centre for budding musicians. It is expected to officially open at the end of the month.

Jon McCaughey, Music Coodinator for Blackburn with Darwen Young People's Service, said: "We want to train up the next generation of rock stars right here in Blackburn. I'm a local musician myself and it's obvious that there's a lot of untapped musical talent in the area. The Kaleidoscope has everything a young rock star could need under one roof."

Local musicians and bands will also be able to perform to teenagers at live gigs at the venue on Saturday nights, with gigs eventually taking place on a fortnightly basis. Young people were heavily involved in the refurbishment from the onset, working with Jon McCaughey to decide exactly what they wanted in the centre.

YCF grants are funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families and are part of the Aiming High for Young People Strategy for Positive Activities. In total just under £4m has been allocated to Blackburn through Aiming High from 2008 until 2011 to provide young people with safe places to go and interesting things to do at the times when they and communities tell us they are most wanted and needed.

The Kaleidoscope Centre also has a large amount of sophisticated equipment, including a full PA system, electronic drum kit, mixer and turntables for DJing, guitars and amplifiers. Young musicians with no equipment of their own can simply walk in and start making music.

Jon added: "Young people are already coming in and using the facilities, the feedback we have received so far is fantastic. From the start of the refurbishment, a number of teenagers have had their say in terms of what they would like within the Kaleidoscope Centre, and this is a process we want to continue with as the centre continues to grow."

To find out more about activities for young people in Blackburn, visit www.blackburn.gov.uk/yps