A CHARITY providing activities for young people in Alloa, reducing isolation, will round off its inaugural year with a classic Christmas movie showing.

Connect Alloa opened the doors at St Mungo's Parish Church in April this year, focusing its efforts on organising youth nights for young people.

While it is based at a church, the group is not a religious project and the man behind the idea, Dave Crozier, is proudly looking back at what has been achieved over the past months.

Dave told the Advertiser: "I always envisioned Connect being a place where people could come together no matter who they were.

"Who you are from the day you join us and from that point on is what matters to me and that message trickles down through the team and to the young people allowing us to be a place that just accepts you for you."

Over the past seven months, 45 young people walked through the doors and there is now a strong core group of about 16 who have very much taken ownership of the activities, something Dave always wanted to see.

The young people come from various areas of Alloa, but also from as far as Falkirk.

There is a wide range of activities to do, from putting the Nintendo Switch to good use to Dungeons & Dragons sessions which have proven immensely popular.

To celebrate Christmas together, Connect Alloa as well as its hosts St Mungo's Parish Church are teaming up for a joint film night.

On screen on Friday, December 20, will be the classic festive picture Home Alone from 7.15pm.

Food will be provided by the soon-to-be-launched St Mungo's Community Café and the event is open to all.

Dave is also happy he managed to encourage some young people to volunteer and mentor their peers as well.

Another way the young people have been giving back to Connect Alloa is through fundraising, recently giving up their time to pack bags at local supermarket Tesco.

Seven young people, with the help of a volunteer and Dave, managed to raise as much as around £400 through their efforts.

The money will be reinvested into the group for activities and development.

Dave's long-term ambition, once the group settled well into running its youth nights, is to make Connect Alloa more inter-generational and open the doors up to more people.

Young people interested in connecting with peers through fun activities and at times discussing important issues, as well as people looking to volunteer, should make contact with Connect Alloa through its Facebook page.