Sowerby Bridge News

£4m For New Young People's Centre In Halifax

News that nearly £4m is being made available to develop a new centre for young people in the heart of Halifax has been described as “fantastic” by Calderdale Council.

Calderdale’s Cabinet Member, Children and Young People, Cllr. Craig Whittaker, says the new centre will show how organisations across Calderdale are listening to what young people say they want.

£3,826,972 has been awarded to Square Chapel Trust through the myplace programme, funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and delivered by the Big Fund, the non-Lottery operation of the Big Lottery Fund.

David McQuillan, Development Officer of the lead partner Square Chapel Centre for the Arts said “The Centre will offer new services for young people: recording studios, I.T (including photo and video editing), art studios, dance/ drama space etc.

“It will be committed to serving all young people and what it doesn’t offer internally, it will link to; so, whether a young person has just discovered they are pregnant, wants to go canoeing, record an album, start a business or has been made homeless – their first stop will by the Orangebox.”

One of the world class aspects of the Orangebox will be the positive focus it puts on young people who will have a sense of ownership of the premises and will also be trained and employed as part of the staff team running the centre. Its location at the heart of the renaissance of the whole area will be a physical reflection of a greater inclusion of and a changing attitude to young people.”

The centre will comprise a performance and visual arts space, a studio for drama and dance, music rehearsal rooms, IT suite, a roof garden with a vegetable growing area and a rooftop skate park.

A varied programme of activities will be on offer, as well as support on a range of issues from bullying to mental health and general counselling.

Cllr Whittaker, says the Orangebox Centre will be a fantastic resource for the young people of Calderdale and will be key to the regeneration of Halifax Town Centre.

“This is fantastic news. The Orangebox Centre is not just going to be another ‘youth centre’. It will be a unique facility led by local partnerships and young people and will help them to explore and develop their creativity to the full.

“Calderdale Council has been involved in asking young people from across the borough what facilities they would like to see and this will turn their vision into reality.”

In putting the idea together, more than 1,000 youngsters were consulted about what they wanted to see in Calderdale in 2005 during the Young People First consultation.

Their views formed the basis for a myplace questionnaire, completed by 250 people.

A Calderdale myplace young people’s board was then appointed and will remain key to the project’s development.

The Orangebox Centre will offer art, music, cultural and IT facilities of exceptional standard to young people. Building work on the centre, which will be located next to the Piece Hall, will start next year.

A whole range of help and advice for young people will also be made available at the centre.

Square Chapel Director Sally Martin says: “This is a fantastic boost for Halifax, and for the young people of Calderdale who have worked so hard with us on the idea of the Orangebox building and on making sure it offers a really world class facility and programme.

“We are also grateful to our partners, who will help make the Orangebox Young People’s Centre one of the key components in the regeneration of the Piece Hall area of the town centre, ensuring that young people have an important voice in the future of their town.”

Carol Stone, Principal Officer for Young People’s Services said: “This is the kind of facility which we should aspire to for our young people.”