In 1989 the Launceston Youth Project started at the Midway Centre which is now The Mad American. It was run by volunteers until Cornwall Youth Service became involved and became a part staturoty and part voluntary youth centre. The Council then sold the Midway Centre and the youth club ended up in The Old Rectory (now flats next door to our buildilng). This was sublet from the mental health day centre. Bernadette Breslin (we now have our cafe named in her honour) got a team together to form the Launceston Youth Partnership Limited and it was set up to protect and house the Launceston Youth Project (now known as The Hangout) The Partnership secured funding from the Tudor Trust to buy the buildilng which was the old Health Centre. The Youth Project moved into this building in 2003 and has been there ever since. In 2014 the council and the Youth Project parted ways and the Youth Project went back to being in the voluntary sector and is a separate Charity.
The building is a substantial one, build in 1972 as the local NHS Doctors/denatl surgery and can only remain sustainable if it functions and runs as a business. We continue to help support our local community by providing low cost office and community space and will always look at charging a minimal amount for a start up or local business. We offer free use to The Street Pastors as part of our commitment to our local population.
We have upgraded the building providing a new accessible toilet, replaced carpets, re decorated and new central heating boilers, making us not just a happy place to be, but a warm one as well.
Without the help from local businesess in 2018 when the new Trustees started their vision for the Charity, we would not have been anywhere near the level of change that we are now proud to see in the building. The Town Council, when we presented our financial and business planning......your faith in us will always be remembered.
Almost 8 years on we have repaired more leaks than we would could have ever imagined! The building is now a thriving community of Charities and Businesses with a professional, calm, uplifting atmosphere that everyone comments on. So many groups use our facilities, the diary is virtually full all of the time.