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Big brother star opens teenagers' shelter

May 17 2006

By Adrian Pearson

A SHELTER for teenagers from troubled backgrounds has celebrated two official openings.

Southwell Lodge on Balcombe Road, Pound Hill, is a home for 16 and 17-year-olds who have nowhere else to go.

Outgoing mayor Ben Clay was on hand to cut the red ribbon on Wednesday morning last week.

And just two hours after he performed his duties former Big Brother star Eugene Sully arrived for an yet another round of ribbon cutting.

Eugene talked to staff and residents about life at the shelter.

He said: "I live just around the corner and always wondered what the building would be used for.

"This is great for the kids. They are from difficult backgrounds but they all seem really really nice.

"I think it's an absolutely wonderful thing. They've taken an old building and turned it in to something useful."

The shelter also acts as a place of education as staff help the teenagers prepare for adult life.

Many of the residents have previously been suspended from school and kicked out of their home.

Some arrive at the lodge with drug problems and chequered pasts but staff insist they get a fresh start when they move in.

Project manager Charlie Arratoon said staff work hard to help the teenagers overcome the problems they have had.

She said: "These are big hard 16 and 17-year-olds here, but we do get through to them. We work with these kids on their own level and I think that is the only way.

"We have rules and we expect them to be followed but in a way we are kind of like an extended family here.

"We listen to them and this is the first time for some of them that they have had someone who will just listen and work with them."

Teenagers are expected to attend lessons and take it in turn to do household chores.

The manager said the teenagers who had been there the longest often ended up setting a good example to new residents.

She added: "You can notice the difference in them after just a few months. They all accept the rules we have and they are better for it."

Kyren Barrett, 16, spent the day showing visitors around the lodge. He has been a resident for two months and said it already feels like home.

"I already knew some of them in here when I moved in and it's a lot like you've got older brothers and sisters here."

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