Supporters celebrate the start of construction at HideOut Youth Zone

On Friday 17th May, funders and supporters of HideOut Youth Zone gathered on-site to see the progress of East Manchester’s new £6.6million Youth Zone. Located on Hyde Road in Gorton, the event provided guests with the opportunity to celebrate the construction progress, to see the building’s development and learn more about the project timeline, as well as hear directly from local young people who will benefit from the new facility.

Chair of HideOut Youth Zone Joanne Whittaker was joined by the charity’s funders and supporters, including local philanthropist Fred Done and representatives from Manchester City Council, ANS Group, Godel Technologies, Bruntwood, Beyond Corporate, This Is Manchester Awards, Manchester Ball, GCA Altium and AO World.

Located on Hyde Road in Gorton, HideOut Youth Zone is based on the successful OnSide Youth Zones 21st century youth work model, which aims to provide young people aged 8 to 19 and up to 25 for those with additional needs with somewhere to go, something to and someone to talk to.

Set to open in 2020, the centre will boast a wide array of state-of-the-art facilities including an indoor climbing wall, 3G kick pitch, music room with recording studio, training kitchen, arts and crafts room, dance and drama studio, enterprise suite and much more.

Joanne Whittaker, Chair of HideOut Youth Zone said “Today marks a huge milestone in the journey to making HideOut Youth Zone a reality for the young people of Manchester – and this is all down to the charity’s incredible supporters who together are making a tremendous difference to the lives of thousands of local young people for generations to come.”

Councillor Luthfur Rahman, Executive Member for Schools, Culture and Leisure, Manchester City Council, said: “We want all our young people to enjoy their lives, to succeed, and to be the very best they can be.  HideOut Youth Zone is just the kind of place young people need to help them with this – it will be a great space, with plenty of opportunities to socialise, where they can grow their confidence, develop their skills, and learn new things.”

HideOut Youth Zone is being developed in partnership with OnSide Youth Zones, Manchester City Council and the local business community. The Youth Zone’s £6.6million building costs were joint funded by local philanthropist Fred Done and Manchester City Council. The Council is also contributing towards the annual £1.2 million revenue costs alongside the Zone’s Founder Patrons who are an influential group of business leaders.

HideOut will be the second Youth Zone created by OnSide in the city, with Manchester Youth Zone (formerly known as The Factory) opening in Harpurhey in 2012. HideOut Youth Zone aims to reach over 3,000 young people from central and east Manchester within its first year of operation, providing them with new opportunities to enjoy.