Historic warehouses to be turned into youth club following £2.7m grant
Joe Lepper
Thursday, February 3, 2022
A charity has been handed £2.7m in National Lottery funding to redevelop run-down 19th century warehouses in Grimsby into a ‘state of the art’ youth centre.
The Grade II listed West Haven Maltings site, in the North East Lincolnshire port town, is on Historic England’s ‘at risk’ register, which describes the former riverside granary warehouses as “in particularly poor condition”.
Originally built from the 1820s, the site has since fallen into disrepair after being hit by several arson attacks over the last 20 years.
Following the National Lottery Heritage Fund grant it is to be turned into the home of Horizon Youth Zone, a project being developed by the charity Onside, which already has 14 youth zones nationwide.
The complex will support 5,000 young people and includes a sports hall, fitness suite, music studio, art room, boxing gym, café as well as a teaching kitchen and space for enterprise training.
In addition, a football pitch is to be developed on the site, which will also offer guidance and support to young people.
“This is fabulous news for Grimsby’s young people and how fitting that it was young people from the town that were integral in us being awarded this remarkable amount of money that will change thousands of lives,” said Onside chief executive Kathryn Morley.
Onside says that part of the funding will be used to create “heritage-inspired activities” that will be designed by local youth people.
Trainee Onside youth worker Izzy Russell, who has been involved in the development of the Horizon Youth Zone plans, said: “As a teenager growing up in Grimsby, it’s been amazing how much I’ve been involved in this project. It just shows that young people are at the core of Horizon Youth Zone.”
National Lottery Heritage Fund director for the North of England David Renwick added that the youth centre “will have a hugely positive impact on the young people of Grimsby, with several thousand Youth Zone members able to benefit from the facilities, projects and workshops that will be available”.
Earlier this week the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced details of a package of support for youth services.
This includes previously announced plans to help youth organisations build or renovate 300 youth centres through the £368m Youth Investment Fund.
Other measures outlined include £4m to create youth volunteering opportunities and cutting waiting lists for uniformed youth groups, such as the Scouts.
