£2M Investment In Youth

We have taken a giant leap forward today in our mission to elevate OnSide Youth Zones to a national level.

The investment comes as The Queen showed her continued support for youth-focused initiatives, with a guided tour of one of the first ‘Youth Zones’ to be built, during Her Majesty’s visit to Manchester on the 14th November. Pictures arriving shortly!

The organisations have donated £500,000 each to towards the building costs in Wolverhampton and Birkenhead, both of which are currently on track to open their doors to the local communities in 2015.

The Queen’s Trust was set up in 1977 on the occasion of The Queen’s Silver Jubilee. Funds were raised to help support charities which ‘help young people help others’. In addition to the donations for the Youth Zones in Wirral and Wolverhampton, The Queen’s Trust is also providing a grant of £200,000 towards the development of Preston Youth Zone.

Nicola Brentnall, Director of The Queen’s Trust, said: “The Queen’s Trust exists to enable young people to help others. OnSide Youth Zones provide a great environment where thousands of young people can come together to have a great time and help each other and others every day.

“We are particularly delighted that our grant has been matched by The St James’s Place Foundation – a gift that helps makes our money go so much further”.

The St. James’s Place Foundation is the grant-making charitable arm of the St. James’s Place Wealth Management Group and has raised over £30 million and funds hundreds of projects each year.

Mike Wilson, Chairman of the St. James’s Place Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be working in partnership with The Queen’s Trust and OnSide to ensure the successful opening of two new Youth Zones in 2015.

“We are convinced that these new Youth Zones will provide an amazing space for the young people of Wolverhampton and the Wirral and encourage other similar projects to be developed in the future.”