BOLTON Lads' and Girls' Club today revealed ambitious plans to raise £1.75m - so it can become "the best youth club in the country."

The hugely popular club is bursting at the seams and is to ask for National Lottery cash for a purpose-built new home.

Over the past three years, membership has nearly doubled and the club now has 1,300 young members, making it one of the biggest single-site youth clubs in the country. On top of that, more than 100 children a day attend an after school and holiday facility at the Bark Street premises where the club started 107 years ago.

And hundreds more use the sports facilities at Hacken Lane, Darcy Lever.

Leaders want to create bigger and better facilities to keep even more children off the streets but they cannot expand because they are hemmed in by shops.

They have a new site in mind for a new building but refuse to reveal the exact location because they are currently negotiating with the landowners. The entire project has been costed at about £1.75m. Club leader Jeremy Glover said today: "The old building is creaking at the seams but if this project goes ahead we will have the best youth club in the country.

"But we have to be realistic and it will be totally dependent on lottery funding.

"We will be asking them for over 75 per cent which will still leave us with a large amount to raise ourselves. It will be a challenge but it will be a manageable amount."

Initial talks with the Sports Council have been positive because they support the policy of making sport affordable so disadvantaged children can take part, said Mr Glover. He believes the high number of committed volunteers will also count in their favour.

But before they submit a detailed bid the club are trying to rally support in the town and are appealing for influential figures to write letters backing the planned project.

The letters will be included in the final package.

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