Preston Youth Zone has been awarded a £6.2 million Youth Investment Fund grant to build the new state-of-the-art facility.This means that the Youth Zone, which will be run as a new local charity once opened, has secured all of its building costs and will now focus on fundraising the remainder of its annual running costs, which will come from private sector and philanthropic contributions.
Preston Youth Zone is one of 43 youth services in England to benefit from the first wave of Youth Investment Fund grants, announced by the funder, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the charity Social Investment Business. “This major investment will provide young people with incredible opportunities to find their voice, increase their confidence and gain new skills.
Adrian Phillips, Chief Executive of Preston City Council said: “It has been an ambition of the city to see a Youth Zone in Preston for over 10 years, in various different guises, and so we are delighted to finally see the funding to build the scheme secured and this significant project move forward to the key stage of development.