Kirkholt set for new youth zone

Councillors Dale Mulgrew and Pat Colclough with Kirkholt youth officer Debbie Chadwick

An exciting new development for young people in Kirkholt is set to open its doors later this month.
 
The new Youth Zone, which is to be situated on The Strand, aims to provide a comfortable and interesting venue for young people to socialise and take part in Rochdale Youth Service supported activities.
 
The Youth Zone will include a new pool table, Xbox and television, as well as many other games and things for the youth of the area to do.
 
The £2,500 funding for equipment needed for the zone was provided by Rochdale Township, after a bid was put together to the Balderstone and Kirkholt Area Forum which was supported by Kirkholt councillor Pat Colclough.

Councillor Pat Colclough said: “This is a superb new youth community facility for Kirkholt, which will provide young people with access to a host of activities. I was concerned about an ongoing youth service presence within the estate when the announcement came that the Council was to close the youth centre.

“But this development means there will not only be a new base for the estate’s young people, but will ensure the youth service now has a permanent site to deliver much needed services from.”
 
“I was also really pleased to be able to support the bid to the area forum which will see an investment of two and a thousand into the new youth zone.

“The money granted should see this new facility get off to a great start, enabling the youth service to purchase equipment which will make the facility somewhere young people want to visit.”
 
Councillor Dale Mulgrew said: “This is a great investment for The Strand and I’m sure the local community as a whole will see the benefit of it.

“Not only does it provide activities for young people, bit it also means one of the empty shops is brought back into us, which can only be a plus for The Strand.”
 
The Youth Zone will also work alongside local services, partners, and businesses to create opportunities to involve local young people in activities which will benefit the local community.

The Youth Service fully supports the project and has committed youth workers to deliver youth programmes from the shop.