A POPULAR hub for musicians and artists in Darlington has been given a welcome makeover by a group of teenagers.

The Forum, on Borough Road, hosts a multitude of cultural events throughout the year including art exhibitions and music concerts but the ageing building’s interior was in need of a lick of paint.

A group of young people working on the National Citizen Service (NCS) development programme contacted the manager and arranged to redecorate the venue as part of their community project.

Aged between 16 and 17, the youngsters completed the work within a week, with the group filling in walls, painting the main room and even producing their own art work to add to the venue.

Grace Brodie, an NCS Team Leader, praised their efforts and said: “The programme gets young people from different backgrounds mingling together doing something really positive.

“It helps builds confidence and develops their skills as they come out of school and start thinking about entering college.”

Alison McKay, CEO of Humantics CIC, which owns and manages The Forum, said that they were always keen to help young people.

She added: “We do a lot of work with young people, so when they got in touch with us a few weeks ago we were happy to help.

“They were a nice bunch of kids, well mannered and professional and did a good job – with not too much mess on the floor.”

Ms Brodie added: “The artwork was all music related – and we even used cuttings from The Northern Echo for one of them, which seems appropriate.

“When the work was finished a couple of them stood back and looked me and said ‘we’ve done a good job haven’t we?’

“They were almost surprised at how well they did, but they were really proud and they worked so hard.”

Since the closure of Darlington Arts Centre in 2012, The Forum has become an increasingly important cultural hub for the town.

In the summer it was the focal point for a street festival as part of Darlington Arts Festival which saw the whole of Borough Road closed to traffic for a day.

Upcoming events being held at The Forum include the Hilary Bites Comedy night on September 5, featuring comedians Steve Harris and Penella Mellor, followed by the critically acclaimed ‘forensic mind reader’ Colin Cloud on September 9.