Teenage fire deaths memorial

The family of a teenage boy killed with his girlfriend in a shed fire have moved a step closer to building a centre in Colwyn Bay for young people in their memory.

Daniel Cleverley, 15, died when he became trapped with 13-year-old Kirsty Burvill in a blaze at a council-owned storage shed in the town in October 2001.

Daniel's mother Hazel set up a registered charity to raise money to open a youth centre to help her come to terms with her son's death.

The proposed Dan's Den will house a library, sports play area, computers, a stage and a pool table.

It is hoped it will be built next to a skate park in Eirias Park which opened in August and was also named in his honour.

  Mrs Cleverley said the charity had raised £21,000 and was about to apply for a national lottery grant to fund the centre which architects have estimated would cost £500,000.

She said: "My son and his girlfriend were killed in the park and we wanted to get together so that there was somewhere safe for children to meet up with their friends.

"I would like to see it open this year... maybe that's overtly optimistic, but at least by next year."

An inquest in 2002 recorded a verdict of accidental death after an arson attack on the shed.

  An 11-year-old boy was placed on a three-year supervision order after admitting starting the blaze.

It was accepted at Llandudno youth court in December 2001 he did not know the teenagers were in the building at the time.

On Thursday Mrs Cleverley and a group of schoolchildren from schools in Colwyn Bay travelled to the Centre for Alternative Technology in Machynlleth to pick up a few design ideas for the youth centre.

Mrs Cleverley said: "We would like an alternative building made of environmentally-friendly materials."

On Thursday night a meeting was held at the Glazy Days ceramic studio in Colwyn Bay for young people to share ideas on the building design.

Glazy Days director Bethan Owen said: "We are hoping for children to come and design a mural from a series of tiles that will be individually painted by them."