A YOUNG woman has spoken about why she has decided to donate £3,000 to a Newport youth organisation.

Urban Circle closed its doors at its home on Upper Dock Street, where it ran a drop-in arts and music centre for young people, after it ran out of funding.

The situation has moved 18-year-old Nicola Boardman, from Abertillery, to offer the charity the four figure sum.

Miss Boardman, who was awarded a lump some of money, got involved with Urban Circle after she became friends with band Flow-Dem, who got to the semi-finals of Sky TV show Must Be The Music.

"Urban give everyone something to do. People would go in there to chill and get off the street," she said.

"Where I am from there's nothing like that at all. But down there thre's a place where you can get help if you want to go into music and fashion."

Miss Boardman said she was learning to MC at the centre.

The charity previously made an appeal for £10,000 of donations to allow it to carry on for the next six months while it tries to find a new home.

Dennis Mackenzie, a volunteer with UC since it began four years ago, said he is "blown away by the offer."

Mr Mackenzie said Newport City Radio has now moved to a new location, while the rest of UC's projects will operate on a mobile set up.

He said UC is currently trying to get one of the former Empty Shops Project premises as a base, but said they will likely be "hot-desking" for one or two years.

A £225,000 grant from the Big Lottery funded the organisation's operations for three years. UC has applied for other grants but has not yet had any success.