The Challenge
Over the past 25 years there has been enormous investment in an infrastructure of leisure, sporting and recreational opportunities for adults. Yet in the same period, we have spent next to nothing on facilities and opportunities for young people.
The result is that too many young people spend their leisure time on the streets or try to join the adult world of pubs and clubs long before they should. In both cases, alcohol, drugs and inappropriate role models have had a considerable and negative impact.
Young people are society’s future and we should be investing in them. The OnSide solution is to develop facilities that will provide young people with enjoyable, positive and constructive opportunities for their leisure time.
How OnSide Came About
Visited by over 3,000 young people every week, Bolton Lads and Girls Club (BLGC) is a state-of-the-art custom-built, modern youth club offering a wide range of sport, art and enterprise activities. Open 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year, the Club is driven by a powerful combination of public, private and volunteer sector support. It is also heavily influence by the Government’s 10 year strategy for young people (Aiming High), which aims to radically improve facilities for young people in the UK.
In 2006, serial entrepeneur, Bill Holroyd was approached by officials from BLGC to chair the Club’s Board. Bill willingly took on the role and realised very quickly that other towns and cities in the country would clearly benefit from a first class facility like Bolton. It was this vision that inspired Bill to develop the charity, OnSide Northwest and spearhead the the development of the Youth Zone ‘model’ across the Northwest.
OnSide was officially created in 2008 to capitalise on the Government’s drive to transform the way facilities for young people are planned and delivered.
Making It A Reality
OnSide successfully applied to myplace, the multi-million pound government programme to deliver world class places for young people, for capital funding of £20m to develop four Youth Zones in the Northwest.
Carlisle, Blackburn, Manchester (Harpuhey) and Oldham were identified as areas in greatest need of a youth facilities for young people. With Carlisle already open for business, the three other Youth Zones are set to open in the next 6 months.
The story doesn’t end there either; OnSide’s vision has become infectious amongst other towns and cities across the North and has resulted in a fifth youth zone has been added to the portfolio in Wigan. Wigan Youth Zone is being delivered by private sector sponsorship and is due to open in Autumn 2012.
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