A THRIVING teen cafe has given a warm welcome to a council chairman who popped in to see the good work going on there.

The chairman of Rochford District Council Tony Humphries recently called in to the hugely successful Great Wakering Teen Café.

Mr Humphries and his wife spent around a hour at the café speaking both with the teens who use it and the organisers who run it.

About 60 teens use the café, which opened in June 2008 and is open on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6pm to 8pm at Great Wakering Primary School in the High Street.

They use it to enjoy indoor and outdoor sports, such as table tennis and football, art and craft activities like clay modelling and cookery, or just have something to eat or drink.

Mr Humphries said: “I would like to thank Councillor Barbara Wilkins for inviting my wife and myself to the teen café at Great Wakering.

“I was delighted to receive such a warm welcome by all here and have the pleasure of experiencing the wonderful community spirit and team participation that is so apparent.

“This is a fantastic initiative for the youngsters of Great Wakering and the surrounding areas and gives them a place to congregate and enjoy the benefits and camaraderie.”

Whilst there, Councillor Humphries also took the opportunity to hand out some certificates to young people for their volunteering efforts including running music workshops and supporting the Wakering Young Peoples Community project.

Young people who use the café are mainly from Great Wakering but there are also visitors from Rochford, Southend, Shoebury, Barling, Hockley and Ashingdon.

The project has been supported by Rochford District Council, Great Wakering Parish Council, Rochford Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership, the Great Wakering Primary School children’s centre and the national youth volunteering programme Vinvolved.

For more information about the project, call Great Wakering Primary School on 01702 219435.