Three young women from the Woodhouse and Spring Bank estate are spearheading attempts to revitalise their neighbourhood.

Amanda Nockels, Chrissie Farren and Dawn Patrick have taken on the running of the area's recently-refurbished community centre on Woodhouse Road.

They are pictured outside the building as they prepare to open it up for a range of activities for local people of all ages.

"We're strong enough between us to get it up and going," says chairman Amanda.

"If people know there's something happening they might come out of the woodwork to help."

The building has been renamed the Hainworth Wood Centre to appeal to the wider community stretching as far away as Park Lane, Wesley Place and Hainworth.

The aim is to bring together residents of the council estate, elderly sheltered housing and privately-owned terraced houses.

The building, formerly Woodhouse and Spring Bank Community Centre, closed when the management committee became disillusioned.

Bradford council last year led attempts to rekindle interest, including a major survey into what local people wanted.

The centre was recently redecorated with help from Keighley Volunteer Bureau, and the Single Regeneration Budget is funding a development worker until next April.

The worker, Lyn Smith, has gathered together a small team of volunteers who this month formed themselves into a new management committee.

Amanda is chairman, Chrissie the secretary, and fellow residents Dawn Patrick, Joan Weir (treasurer) and Simon Conway (vice-chairman) complete the committee.

The group's first aim is to raise enough money to fund planned activities such as a homework club, parent and toddler group and bingo sessions.

Cash will come in from five private parties booked for the next few weeks, and a 'communal caf' will provide regular income.

Grants may be available through Keighley Anti-Crime Partnership for activities at the centre to keep youngsters on the straight and narrow.

The first items on the shopping list are disco and bingo equipment so they can start running events for children and pensioners.

Amanda says: "We're trying to do what we can with little budget. Anything that comes in is going straight back into the centre.

"We've no need to pay anything out until April, and hopefully then we'll be on our own two feet."

The committee hopes eventually to bring young and old together with the result of lessening tension on the estate.

"At the moment the elderly are terrified of the young," says Amanda. "We're planning ways round it to unite them slowly and surely."

One of the ideas is "Grab a Gran" in which trusted young people will help escort pensioners to and from their homes for bingo sessions, as well as serving coffee.

But Amanda says that most activities will be separate, with no return to the old situation where anyone was able to drop-in at any time, and rowdy youths drove away other users.

Amanda stresses that the success of the centre depends on more residents getting involved, either on the committee or organising activities.

"Everyone wants things to start running, but people won't help out. I don't think anyone from the estate has got any faith," she says.

"The most annoying thing is driving past this community centre and saying 'it's ours' but we can't do anything with it. If we had the equipment we'd start tomorrow."

The committee would welcome donations of any useful items including bingo and disco equipment, pool tables, reference books, computers, games or pre-school toys. Anyone who wants to get involved in running the centre, should phone Lyn on 07931 677320 or Chrissie on 07901 702440.