A Cambridgeshire charity – that offers support to young people at a hub in Huntingdon – is celebrating 40 years of service.

Centre 33 supports youngsters up to the age of 25 with a range of practical and emotional needs.

Since they opened on May 1 1981 the charity has reached around 145,000 young people through assemblies, events, and phone calls.

They have worked closely with 38,000 young people - including counselling sessions for 12,500 people and providing young carers support for 6000.

Their anniversary is set to be a tribute to its founder Maggie Hunter, who has now retired.

Young beneficiaries, past and present, will also be reflecting on the support they have received from Centre 33.

Meg Platt, director of services, said: “We are committed to providing a safe and nurturing environment for our young people.

“Our vision is that every young person who comes to us feels listened to and respected for who they are.

"We provide an inclusive and non-judgemental safe space for young people who know that our door is always open, and we are always here for them.”

Bosses say that over the last year Centre 33 has seen an increase in demand for its services with young people coming to the charity with a “greater complexity of needs”.

Fifty per cent of young people reaching out to them have presented with suicidal thoughts - an increase of 10 per cent on the year before.

The charity has also extended its Young People’s Helpline to be open on Saturdays as well as weekdays.

It has continued to operate throughout the pandemic but has had to focus on video calls, voice calling and messaging services.

Meg continued: “Mental health is something we all have but it hasn’t always been openly discussed.

“Over the last 40 years we have stayed true to the core principles that the charity was founded upon – to be accountable for the wellbeing of our young service users and to provide them with warmth, respect and confidentiality.”

Centre 33 has five hubs across Cambridgeshire and Peterborough.