A FURTHER £323,000 Government windfall will be used to bring a bumper package of new jobs and hospitality facilities to Minehead and help to secure a new museum and tourist information centre for the town.

Tomorrow (Saturday) will see the grand opening of a new café at the Beach Hotel, which will be run alongside a new museum and tourist centre.

Luxury bedrooms, training schemes, apprenticeships, a restaurant and conference rooms will all follow in the coming weeks.

The iconic seafront building was bought by the YMCA in November last year and has already secured £1 million in Government funding and more than £320,000 from West Somerset Council's 'planing gain' pot to turn the venue into a flagship training hotel for young people.

The latest cash boost has come from the Coastal Communities Fund and will be used to support the tourism side of the business.

The training hotel - which has been hailed as "inspirational" by local civic leaders - will also have 36 affordable homes for 16 to 24-year-olds within the development.

Martin Hodgson, chief executive of the YMCA Somerset Coast, said work had already started on the transformation of the hotel, including a partnership with Minehead Development Trust and the Minehead Museum Group.

He said the coastal communities grant was the "final piece of the jigsaw" and would be allocated over two years to create full-time jobs, apprenticeships and training in hospitality, catering and facilities management.

"This money will allow us to create jobs and help reinvigorate an area of Minehead with so much going for it.

"The funding will make such a difference both physically to a landmark building, but most importantly to the people of West Somerset in terms of employment and training opportunities," Mr Hodgson said.

He said the money would enable the YMCA to demonstrate that tourism was a viable and sustainable part of Minehead's future economic prosperity.

"The works to the hotel will create a vibrant cafe and visitor centre, alongside 13 bespoke luxury bedrooms overlooking the sea and the West Somerset Railway, a restaurant and conference and meeting rooms," he said.

The training aspect of the hotel will be delivered in partnership with West Somerset College.

Marguerite Bowden, assistant principal vocational education, said: "This exciting project will create opportunities for over 20 jobs, providing training and employment in a variety of skills.

"It will also raise the aspirations of the young people of West Somerset; there is a real buzz around the opportunities the Beach Hotel will provide."

The project is also linked with EDF Energy's job brokerage scheme, which aims to maximise the opportunities available to local people once work gets underway on the new nuclear power station at Hinkley Point C.

David Eccles, head of communications for Hinkley C, said the coastal communities grant would give the hotel a real boost.

"I have spent time with the young people who are currently volunteering at the Beach and each of them brings a unique contribution which the job brokerage will be able to harness and then link them with sustainable employment as our Hinkley development moves closer to starting in earnest."

The hotel had been vacant for more than a year before the YMCA took it on with the help of funding from the district council and the Government.

Minehead Development Trust's vision manager, Stephen Hooper, said it had been a real cause of concern having such a prominent seafront building boarded up for such a long time.

"Having the YMCA take over this building on the gateway to the town has been so refreshing.

"The young people who are already engaged with the project have such enthusiasm and ownership for the hotel.

"We can't wait to see it open and catering for residents and visitors alike," Mr Hooper said.

News of the hotel's imminent opening was also welcomed by local MP Ian Liddell-Grainger.

"I am absolutely delighted by this announcement," he said.