AN organisation set up to support young people who find mainstream education challenging revealed its newly refurbished facilities yesterday.

PEAK project, part of the Wastesavers group, provides an alternative curriculum for 13- to 16-year-olds across Newport, Caerphilly, Cardiff, Monmouthshire and Torfaen.

Working alongside local schools, pupil referral units and social services, the youth project provides a practical approach for Years 9 to 11 pupils who find it difficult in a formal classroom setting.

The £160,000 refurbishment funded by the Big Lottery has helped provide staff and pupils with new furniture and equipment. The financial backing, which will be paid in three instalments, has helped improve facilities for teaching subjects such as photography, carpentry, bike repairs and gardening.

Fifteen-year-old Jockua Telfer, from Ringland, came to PEAK when he was 14 and has since gone on to study multi skills at college. “I prefer PEAK to school, it’s more laid back here, they treat you more like adults,” he said. “We study things like photography and bike repairs, but carpentry is my favourite.”

As well as teaching modular courses, skills tutors conduct lessons in healthy eating, alcohol awareness, understanding sexual relationships and teamwork. PEAK skills tutor Ismail Omar, said he was very pleased with the revamp.

“A lot of the stuff we had here before was recycled, so it’s great to have new equipment and we always want the kids to try new things like cooking, so this funding means we can get them to do even more,” he said.

PEAK project coordinator Ian Pearce added that plans to build a new media studio will be going ahead as well as a “passport scheme” which aims to help reward pupils for their efforts more regularly across the academic year.

Mayor of Newport Cllr Matthew Evans led the way in unveiled the new renovation stating that PEAK was important for the pupils who find it hard in mainstream education and that the refurbishment helped in “bringing the facilities back to life”.