A £200,000 Government grant has secured the future of several Bradford youth organisations.

The Bradford Award Centre in Undercliffe has been given the money to refurbish its crumbling premises, home to seven voluntary groups.

The centre's 27-year-old building has been in need of repair for years - and its poor condition had put the future of some of the organisations in doubt.

Among the groups based at the site in Undercliffe Lane are the Bradford Duke of Edinburgh Award Association and CASPAR - a cycle maintenance project which aims to rehabilitate young offenders.

The grant from the Government's £7.9 million Capital Modernisation Fund will mean vital improvements can be carried out.

Today Chris Johnson, awards co-ordinator for the Duke of Edinburgh scheme, said the grant was welcome - and long overdue.

He said: "We are obviously delighted. The building is in desperate need of refurbishment. Our main aim is to make the building secure because at the moment it is not safe. We also need to replace doors and windows and try to cut down our energy consumption."

And he admitted: "It would have been questionable if we could have gone on without the help of this money."

"It is vital that we survive as we are the only centre for young people in the Undercliffe area.

"Some of the groups based here had nowhere to operate before they started here. One organisation, Woodcraft Folk, was left without a base after the major fire at Carlton Bolling College, so we took them in."

The Awards Centre was the biggest beneficiary from the fund in Yorkshire.

And Home Office active community minister Angela Eagle said it was deserving of the support.

She said the work of schemes such as the Duke of Edinburgh Award encouraged young people to take on new challenges and learn valuable new skills.

"The voluntary and community sector is key to the Government's efforts to tackle social exclusion,'' she said.

"It breaks down barriers that stop people fulfilling their own potential."