How £6.9m hub will change thousands of lives in Warrington

Builders have moved onto the Foundry Street site in the past two weeks and with the land secured and hoardings in place, the diggers are now moving in.

Over the next 12 months, the state-of-the-art £6.9million facility will gradually rise from the ground before the doors open to thousands of young people.

It will build upon the historic legacy set by Warrington Youth Club, which currently operates out of The Peace Centre and will move its services to the new facility.

The youth zone is being developed by the national charity OnSide Youth Zones, and will be the charity’s 12th newly-built facility. Warrington Youth Zone will be run as an independent charity within the ever-growing OnSide network, with Mark Brocklehurst – managing director, Sharples Group Ltd – chairing a board of local trustees.

In more simpler times, a grand ground-breaking ceremony would have marked the beginning of the construction. Instead, last week, Warrington Youth Zone CEO Dave McNicholl welcomed many of the charity’s funders to the site individually throughout the day.

He said: “For many of our donors, this day has been a long time coming and it was great to welcome them to the site and see their faces as the vision they had invested into became a physical reality.

“I cannot thank each and every one of them enough.

“What they are helping create will transform and enhance the lives of thousands of young people in Warrington.”

The youth zone will offer young people aged seven to 19, and up to 25 for those with additional needs, more than 20 activities every day of the week.

How it will look

When schools close the youth zone will open and a huge array of facilities will ensure that young people will not be short of options.

Its wide-ranging sports offer will include a four-court sports hall, a multi-use rooftop 3G pitch, a martial arts room and gym. One of the more eye-catching aspects will be a giant climbing wall.

For lovers of the arts there will be a music room with a recording booth, dance studio, arts and crafts areas and a multimedia suite.

When young people pay their 50p entry fee, the first space they walk into will be a large, open plan recreation area, kitted out with table tennis and pool tables with plenty of room for other activities and areas to sit and chill out with friends.

There will also be a café, serving hot and nutritious meals for as little as £1 and a designated teaching kitchen where young people will have the opportunity to learn how to cook a wide range of dishes.

The youth zone will also have spaces for projects such as enterprise and employability and the existing NCS offer run by Warrington Youth Club.

A health and wellbeing room will enable young people to discuss important topics with youth workers or even get their hair and nails done.

The move will also enable the charity to recruit and train more youth workers who will be on hand to support young people, giving them an important ‘someone to talk to’.

The youth zone, in the Stadium Quarter, will also be working in close partnership with many other organisations across Warrington and Cheshire to ensure young people are supported wherever they are.

Mr McNicholl added: “Our incredible universal offer for young people across the whole of Warrington will provide so many more opportunities for them, while providing them with an incredible network of support, which young people need now more than ever.

“We are extremely proud of the legacy built by Warrington Youth Club and we will enhance and nurture that as we move onto this next chapter.”

How are young people shaping the project?

Warrington Youth Zone has had young people at the heart of the project throughout.

A Young People’s Development Group has steered some of the major decisions, including its new logo and brand and the interviewing of new staff.

The group consists of young people from the town who have also been involved with Warrington Youth Club. Over the next 12 months, they will play a key role in the youth club’s transition to the youth zone in the town centre.

From leading and taking part in fundraising activities, to promoting the youth zone in the community among other young people – young people’s voices are at the centre of everything the youth zone charity does.

A number of the group joined funders at the site, based off Dallam Lane and Winwick Street, last week and saw the hoarding boards they helped produce unveiled.

Izzy Murphy and Thaila O’Connor, both 17, have been integral members of the group for two years and both have been passionate about supporting other young people.

Izzy, who has also been a member of Warrington Youth Club for four years, said: “When I first came to the youth ylub, I wasn’t good at talking to people or performing my music but since coming I’ve gained a lot of confidence and made lots of friends.

“Warrington Youth Zone will give an even bigger opportunity to lots more young people to come and experience what we have. People will be able to meet new people, make new friends and it’ll help people get on the right path.

“Through the development group, I’ve worked on the branding for the youth zone and have been able to travel and visit other OnSide Youth Zones. I’ve been able to share my experiences with other people.”.

The group is always looking to expand and the youth zone is keen to have as many young people involved in the development stage.

As well as making key decisions the group, which meets weekly, also discusses wider topics that affect young people in Warrington.

Thaila added: “I’m really excited for the youth zone to be built. It will give young people a safe place to go where they can enjoy themselves.

“We’ve had so many great opportunities with the Young People’s Development Group and there’s always space for others to get involved!”

The group has also had the opportunity to visit other OnSide Youth Zones across the nationwide network, in places such as Wigan and Chorley and, once Covid restrictions allow them to do so, they will make more visits ahead of Warrington Youth Zone’s opening.

•  Anyone who wishes to get involved with the group, should email wayne.carter@onsideyouthzones.org.

How business can help out

WARRINGTON Youth Zone’s funding model is based on that of the other 13 OnSide Youth Zones across the country.

This is a unique partnership of the private sector, local authority, young people (via their £5 membership and 50p admission fees) and the community that forms a dynamic four-way, inter-connecting relationship.

This will not only drive the success of the youth zone, but will ensure its sustainability.
As construction begins, many of those who had already committed to supporting the youth zone were invited to see the site and the diggers move in last week.

One of those was Britplas, which is one Woolston-based business making a contribution to the facility’s annual running costs – a group of supporters known as ‘Founder Patrons’.

Britplas’ group managing director John Blackwell and chairman Kevin Gorman said: “We are extremely proud to be a Founder Patron for Warrington Youth Zone. 

“As a local business we believe it is so important to invest in the town’s young people and help ensure they have the brightest possible future.

“A facility such as an OnSide Youth Zone will help give them that. 

“Being able to support such a fantastic charity, which will offer so many inspiring and wonderful facilities and activities, means we are not only giving back, but part of a founder patron community that is also making a difference.

“We are so excited to see building work begin and see this vision become a reality, the plans look amazing. We were told that this facility would be world class and you can tell that it absolutely will be. 

“We would really encourage any other Warrington business thinking of supporting this project to do so – you will be helping to transform so many young lives.”

A board of trustees, alongside Warrington Borough Council, as volunteers will ensure the new charity delivers for the young people of Warrington. 

The day-to-day management of the youth zone will be the responsibility of a small team of professional staff, headed up by Warrington Youth Club’s chief executive.

•  Anybody interested in supporting Warrington Youth Zone should email lisa.hannah-stewart@onsideyouthzones.org for more

Why it is business as usual

WHILE work on Warrington Youth Zone progresses, young people will still have access to Warrington Youth Club.

While the charity has had to reshape what it offers young people during the Covid-19 pandemic, it has continued to provide activities and support.

The charity has also waived its usual £5 annual membership fee so anyone who wants to sign up can do for free.

As we move into 2021, that will continue. To ensure the safety of young people, sessions at the Youth Club’s Peace Centre Home as well as its town centre Junction gym, will have a reduced capacity, with young people able to book onto these online. 

The junior (7-12) and senior (13+) clubs are currently working with two bubbles of 15 young people for each evening, meaning 30 places will be bookable each session

Senior club runs every Tuesday and junior club Wednesdays, between 6pm and 9pm.

The Youth Club’s Junction Gym is open six days a week with sessions bookable online.
Targeted programmes such as Buddy Up, Mentoring, Wellbeing Drop Ins, Development Groups and Film Club will all continue.

Once safe, the youth club will re-open its usual open access sessions next year.
CEO Dave McNicholl said: “Warrington Youth Club’s operations will continue throughout 2021, right up until we open the new Youth Zone.

“This is an incredibly difficult time for young people and our aim is to give them the best possible support. As well as our in-house sessions, we have been running virtual sessions online as well as our outreach work.

“Warrington Youth Club has been such an important charity and place for young people for decades and that will continue throughout the next year and beyond with Warrington Youth Zone.”

For more information, or to book a session, visit www.warringtonyouthclub.co.uk.