Trust, St James’s Place Foundation, Holroyd Foundation,
Wirral Borough Council, Merseyside Fire and Rescue
Service and support from the North West Ambulance
Service (NWAS) NHS Trust meant the Youth Zone build
could begin. To mark the occasion the world’s biggest
spade plunged into the ground!
OnSide then worked with John Syvret to form a Youth
Zone board. A key member of the Youth Zone board is
Peter Bibby – the man behind Birkenhead Youth Club, a
neighbouring, fantastic youth facility up the road from
Wirral Youth Zone. The Hive’s opening times were agreed
in close working partnership with Birkenhead Youth Club,
to add to the overall offer for young people in Wirral.
Stuart Barnes was recruited as the Chief Executive of
Wirral Youth Zone – now its own independent charity.
During this key time, whilst the build was underway, John
Syvret’s experience in the Wirral business community
as well as the expertise of Stuart and the OnSide Youth
Zones team enabled the sign up 20 Founder Patron’s
which will ensure the Youth Zone’s revenue costs are
funded for the first three years of opening.
The Hive will cost £1million per year to run and this will
be funded through a combination of public sector and
private sector funding. Local businesses and individuals
have backed the project with the likes of Urenco UK,
Boulting Group, Shirley and John Syvret, The Contact
Company, Selwyn-Lloyd Charitable Trust, Cammell Laird,
The Bibby Family, Hill Dickinson, Peel, Edward Billington
& Son Ltd, Anne Duchess of Westminster’s Charity,
B&M Waste Services, Andrew Collinge Hairdressing,
Park Group, West Wallasey Car Hire, the Barton Family,
Progress to Excellence, Russell Taylor Group, Hugh
and Cathy Frost, as well as anonymous supporters all
throwing their weight behind Wirral’s new Youth Zone.
Liverpool and England legend John Barnes even signed
up to become a Youth Zone ambassador – not a bad role
model for local young people! For more information
about helping young people by becoming a founder
patron please contact: Kate Thomas on kate.thomas@
thehiveyouthzone.org.
A further 50 full time staff were recruited followed by 100
volunteers to make sure The Hive offers the BEST service
for young people. Wirral Youth Zone offers a multitude of
facilities from a 4G football pitch, music room, recording
studio, arts and crafts areas, health and well-being rooms,
boxing gym, fitness suite, dance studio and employability
and mentoring programmes. It will help raise the
aspirations, improve health and wellbeing and enhance
the prospects of an anticipated membership of over 3,000
young people across Wirral. In fact over 1000 have already
signed up as members! The Youth Zone will be open for
young people aged 8-19 and up to 25 with a disability
when schools are not. Membership costs £5 per year and
50p per session and young people can sign up now by
visiting www.thehiveyouthzone.org/new-member.
The Hive, Wirral Youth Zone, buzzing with a ‘hive’ of
activity, opened on Saturday April 8th and now provides
21st century youth provision 7 days per week.
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