Lancashire Youth projects receive £15m from government fund

Nine Lancashire projects have received a total of £15m funding from the Youth Investment Fund, part of the government's National Youth Guarantee.

The funding, from the £300m pot which has been allocated to transform and level up opportunities for young people in England, includes:

• £973,000 for Burnley Boys and Girls Club
• £3m for Blackburn Youth Zone
• £4.6m to be shared between Darwen Youth Centre and Audley & Queens Park Youth Hub
• £1.7m for Blackpool Boys & Girls Club
• £1m for Fleetwood Trust 
• £620,000 for Newground Together in Blackburn
• £488,000 for The Boathouse Youth in Blackpool
• £2.3m for The Foxton Centre in  Preston

Blackburn Youth zone's £3m allocation will be used to transform the Fusebox building on Jubilee Street  into a new Employment Skills Hub.

The revamped building will include a new training academy offering training facilities for the delivery of recognised and vocational qualifications, A Maker Zone housing dedicated STEAM equipment with a bespoke accredited curriculum, asector-based Youth Club providing bespoke equipment for young people to develop transferable skills in preparation for ‘Jobs of the Future’ and an open events space for youngsters to showcase their talents. 

Darwen's allocation will be used to build upon the success of Youth Zone Darwen. The Knott Street facility will double in size as part of plans to add an extra level on to the existing building.

The redevelopment will feature a new wellbeing area, creative workshop space, recording and DJ studio, gaming zone and multi-use spaces and the outdoor sports facilities will be upgraded too.

Audley and Queen’s Park Children’s Centre, part of Blackburn with Darwen Council’s brand new Family Hubs, will transform existing facilities for children and young people living in the area.

It’ll then be open seven days a week for them to enjoy with a specialist mental health offer, employability and rehabilitation support too.

A new Shadsworth Hub will open to all youngsters in the area, offering impressive new indoor and outdoor spaces for them to enjoy. 

Coun Phil Riley, leader of Blackburn with Darwen Council, said: "This is a brilliant outcome for our youngsters in the borough and comes on the back of an incredible amount of hard work by the council and our partners.

"This funding will see our youth facilities transformed - supporting our mission to ensure every child and young person has opportunities to fulfil their potential."

Blackpool's money has been awarded to create a new, larger, purpose built youth club on the site of the existing Blackpool Boys and Girls youth club in Talbot and Brunswick.

The expansion of the building will allow for more youth work activities, youth provision and opportunities for young people from the local area with the completion date expected to be autumn 2024.

The redeveloped and redesigned youth centre will offer a range of youth work activities and opportunities, and the new centre will include a games room, space for sports, a kitchen area and the opportunity to develop an e-Sports area.

Fleetwood's allocation will be used to renovate the former Fleetwood Hospital building on Pharos Street and transform part of The Hub Fleetwood community
space into a thriving and vibrant hub for young people.

The Youth Hub will be part of the phased redevelopment of the former NHS hospital building led by The Fleetwood Trust. It will deliver much needed youth services for young people in Fleetwood and the wider community.

Planning consent for the redevelopment work was secured in partnership
with The Prince’s Foundation in November 2020, and with the funding now in place, Fleetwood Trust hopes to be able to open the doors to the new centre next year and complete the revamp by 2025.

Lord Tom McNally, chairman of the Fleetwood Trust, said: "Working in partnership with the young people of Fleetwood themselves, the Fleetwood Trust will use this funding to help meet their needs and priorities.

“It also means that the Fleetwood Trust has a significant building block in place towards the creation, at the old Fleetwood Hospital, of a multi-service hub which will meet the needs and priorities of all the people of Fleetwood."