Keys handed over for £1.7m new youth centre

Friday, 27 December 2024 15:09

By Shelagh Parkinson

A £1.7m new youth centre in Blackpool is on track to launch in the spring after the building work was completed two months ahead of schedule.

Warden Construction has handed the keys over to Blackpool Council following completion of its role in the project to provide bigger and better facilities on the site in Gorton Street.

The next steps will be to fit out the building with furniture and equipment before Blackpool Boys and Girls Club moves in – in what will also be its 90th anniversary year.

Jed Sullivan, youth worker at Blackpool Boys and Girls Club said: “Designed with our young people in mind, this state-of-the-art centre provides a safe and inspiring environment for learning, growing, and simply being themselves.

“And what better way to celebrate our upcoming 90th anniversary in 2025 than with the launch of this incredible space? We’re incredibly excited for this new chapter in our club’s history and the opportunities it will provide for the youth of Blackpool.”

The existing outdated facility, in the Brunswick area of the town, was demolished earlier this year and has been replaced with a single storey, multi-use building roughly three times the size. It includes an activity hall, canteen, office space, kitchen and washroom facilities.

The scheme, which got the go ahead from town hall planners in April, will allow for more youth work activities and opportunities for young people in what is one of Blackpool’s most deprived neighbourhoods.

It has been funded through a £1.7m grant from the government’s Youth Investment Fund which was announced in August 2023. The cash was secured following a joint application by the Blackpool Boys and Girls Club and Blackpool Council.

Coun Kath Benson, cabinet member for young people and aspiration, said: “I am absolutely thrilled that the centre has been handed over two months ahead of schedule.

“Young people from the Blackpool Boys and Girls Club helped to design the building and it is great to see their suggestions come to life.

“Over the next few months, all the furniture will be delivered and installed ahead of an official opening in the spring. t will be a very special day when it is full of young people for the first time.”