Barking & Dagenham Youth get ready for the Zone

A RANGE OF dignitaries gathered at Parsloes Park on Monday to for a ground-breaking ceremony – literally. A spade was ceremonially plunged into the turf to start building works on a major new facility for the borough’s young people.

The new venture, which will be known as the Youth Zone, is due to open in 2019. The centre will have a giant sports hall which will provide four courts. There will also be a martial arts room and a 3G kick pitch. It’s not just about sport, with a range of other rooms helping young people to enjoy art, drama and music. There will be space to learn new skills, such as cooking, and to work on getting a job.

Half of the capital spend of £6 million will be met by the Council, with the Jack Petchey Foundation and the Queen’s Trust chipping in £1.5 million each to meet the balance of costs.

Unfortunately, the young people themselves will have to contribute towards the running costs of the building. They will have to buy an annual membership at a cost of £5, or pay 50p per visit. The Council is basing the centre on a model established by the OnSide charity, which will take responsibility for raising funds from business and rich individuals to meet the estimated £1 million running costs.

Those present included Barking & Dagenham Council Leader Darren Rodwell and West Ham captain Mark Noble as well as some of the people who will be donating funds to the Centre.

Cllr Rodwell said, “This is a historic day for the borough and we can see the start of a major new project getting underway. I was thrilled to see so many young people in attendance as this is going to transform their lives and make such a big difference in the local area.”

Mark Noble said: “This is a big day for Barking and Dagenham. You can see from the youngsters who attended the excitement they are getting from a new Youth Zone being built in the borough. Dreams can certainly become a reality and a development like this can only improve their chances of achieving their goals.”

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