New state of the art youth facility in Oswestry nearing completion

The keys to Oswestry’s new youth centre have been handed over to Shropshire Council by the contractors – and the facility is expected to open to the public in October.

Don Ward, director of Interclass which built the centre, handed the keys to Councillor Vince Hunt, who has supported the project from start to finish, on Friday 31 August 2012.

During September, staff from Shropshire Council’s positive activities, information advice and guidance and targeted youth support teams will move into the building.  Furniture and equipment will be delivered and placed ready for the centre to open for public use in October.

The project – www.biglotteryfund.org.uk/prog_myplace.htm – has been made possible by Government grants and has replaced the old Centre North West facility in Oak Street.

The building, known as The Centre, is energy-efficient and has lots of eco credentials including biomass heating, rain water harvesting, solar heating and heat exchangers.  The building itself is extremely well insulated which will reduce heating costs and lower the council’s carbon footprint.

The Centre has a recording studio and music room which is hoped to be run by a social enterprise formed by local musicians.  There is a cafe area, commercial standard kitchen, art room, interview and meeting rooms, training room, large hall for skateboarding, blades and BMX ,as well as more traditional activities like dance, drama and music.

There is also an upstairs terraced area that will be used for barbecues and growing produce.  Outside there are two “pebbles” for sitting on, which will be lit at night by energy-efficient colour changing LEDs.

Young people, supported by youth workers, have been fully involved in the project throughout, including helping with the design, plans for how it will be used, the colours, furniture and equipment.  A group has been meeting weekly at Marches School to discuss issues and make decisions on matters concerning the building.

The Facebook page, designed by the youngsters, is now ready to be launched, and they have put together a presentation about the building and delivered this to younger children in local primary schools at the end of the summer term.

Four local young people have undertaken work experience on site, learning about the building industry, and completing training to get their CICS card (a training course on health and safety on building sites, which is required to work on building sites in the future).  The council is looking at offering another course for local young people who are not in education, employment or training involving building planters for the terraced areas.

It is the council’s vision to make this a vibrant and busy place, and to do that it’s important to have lots of involvement from the local community.  Councillor Vince Hunt is spearheading a drive to form a management committee and to include local charities, businesses and charities in the building.  So far, partners include St John’s Ambulance and Shropshire Youth Association.

More links are being made with the community including two potential social enterprises that are looking to form around the specialist areas of music, BMX and skating, as well as a local youth charity that is hoping to relocate into the building.

Councillor Vince Hunt, Shropshire councillor for Oswestry West, who has been heavily involved in the project, said:

“We have worked closely with the community to ensure that the young people of Oswestry and the surrounding area will have a fantastic new centre which will give them a place of their own, the opportunity to take part in a range of activities and benefit from important information, advice and guidance. Local councillors have fully supported the project and young people have been at the heart of the plans, working extremely hard on this scheme. I am so pleased that they will be able to see their ideas come to life.”

Councillor Karen Burgoyne, Shropshire Council deputy Cabinet member, said:

“Everyone involved has shown immense commitment and enthusiasm; they should all be extremely proud of the part they have played in this exciting, ground-breaking project.”

Oswestry town mayor, Councillor Martin Bennett, added:

“I am pleased that the new centre is making such good progress, and the town council, which has leased the site to Shropshire Council, and the young people of Oswestry who will be using it, are eagerly awaiting the opening.”

Further information 

A £2,115,877 grant for this project was awarded by the Big Fund in April 2011, and a further grant of £470,000 has been received from the Department for Education for co-locating a range of important services for young people. The remaining money has been contributed by Shropshire Council.

To ensure young people continue to receive services while the building work is being completed, alternative arrangements have been made. Young people are currently meeting at the council building on Holbache Road/Oswald Place.