A NEW conference facility has been given the thumbs up by a regional chief.

Steven Broomhead, chief executive of the Northwest Development Agency (NWDA), was called on to officially open the facility at HM Young Offender's Institute at Thorn Cross.

And he took the opportunity to praise the work at the venue.

He said: "There is a great deal of excellent work being done by the prison service and the Learning and Skills Council to improve the education and skills of prisoners in preparation for release.

"It is important that we support this initiative to help young offenders get into work and reduce the unemployment figure in the north west."