WANNABE DJs have the chance to hit the decks at a special event in one of North Yorkshire's few dry bars.

DJ Booma will meet and offer young people hands-on experience on how to be a DJ, in the George Hotel, Malton on Wednesday.

The event, sponsored by Safer Ryedale, will be about more than just the music, with important messages about drug and alcohol abuse reinforced.

Organiser Paula Taylor, from Connecting with Youth Culture, a North Yorkshire County Council outreach project, said similar events had been great fun and worked well.

Safer Ryedale has also helped fund the dry bar, which has now been running for more than six months.

Ryedale Youth Action Officer PC Stewart Ashton said the meeting place was proving really popular, attracting about 40 teenagers every Wednesday night.

The event runs from 6pm to 9pm.

Updated: 08:41 Monday, May 26, 2003