The state-of-the-art youth zone
The zone which is a state-of-the-art facility for young people, will be built in the centre of Warrington.
This long-term support will contribute towards the running costs of the initiative - due to open in Spring 2021 - that will provide young people across the town with a safe and inspiring place to spend their leisure time.
There will be 20 different activities at the youth zone including a rooftop 3G kick pitch, arts and leisure activities, a catering kitchen offering healthy and affordable meals and training areas for courses and activities. There will also be one-to-one mentoring, a well-being area and an employability and enterprise section.
From left to right: Russ Bowden, Warrington Council; Jamie Reed, Sellafield Ltd; Paul Griffiths, Warrington OnSide Youth Zone and Dave McNicholl, Warrington OnSide Youth Zone.
Jamie Reed, Head of Corporate Affairs, Sellafield Ltd said:
Our social impact strategy sets out how we aim to deliver the maximum social impact from the £2 billion of public money we spend each year.
Investing in this fantastic facility fits into this category - it's a great project worthy of support. We have 2,000 people working in the town, mainly focused on engineering design and project delivery of new and existing facilities at Sellafield in West Cumbria, and we want to support the future of the area through investment in the development of young people.
I recently visited a similar OnSide Youth Zone in Birkenhead and was massively impressed by the range of amazing top-class facilities such as climbing walls, dance studios and music rooms; but the main take-away was from the clear benefit that these facilities provide to young people.
Warrington, like many towns in the North West, suffers from unemployment and the need for more accessible and effective routes into skills and training for young people. The OnSide charity offers - through the Youth Zone - crucial, targeted services that support employability and wellbeing.
Warrington Council leader Russ Bowden said:
I'm delighted that Sellafield Ltd, a significant employer in the area that invests in the training and development of its staff and the community, has come on board to support this very exciting development for our town.
Dave McNicholl, Warrington OnSide Youth Zone Chief Executive said:
We are delighted to welcome Sellafield Ltd as a Founder Patron. There are currently 12 youth zones within the OnSide network across the country and these have proved to be a successful model, making a real difference to the local communities where they are located.
The youth zones can only be successful with the support of local councils and organisations and I'm really excited that Sellafield Ltd are on board as they can bring ideas and innovation to this essential initiative.
Jamie added:
We are really pleased to be on board, look forward to see the building's opening and the outcomes it will achieve.
