1 year to go.....

The ever growing band of supporters of the Blackburn Youth Zone gathered for a "1 year to go and a celebration of success to date" party (any excuse!) last November. Andrew Graham hosted the party at the new Design Studios of Graham and Brown.

It was a brilliant night and a real measure of the progress the Board has made in such a short time. BYZ has already secured widespread support from the business community. 14 founding patrons received a special nod in recognition of their early support. However, it is crystal clear that Blackburn businesses are going to be active partners with all aspects of the new Youth Zone and it is going to go way beyond just making a financial contribution...exactly how it works in Bolton.

Young people were there to welcome guests, Wayne Hemmingway manned the decks, Thwaites manned the pumps...fed everyone to the nines and local superstar Diana Vickers was the star turn.

Andrew made a passionate speech which let everyone know exactly what needed to be done over the next 12 months for BYZ to become the best youth project in the country. Christine Cort , director of BYZ and party organiser said "People were genuinely thrilled that something quite special is happening in Blackburn. It is important to share the vision for Blackburn Youth Zone, as the more people who are on side, the better this extraordinary new facility will be for the town's young people."

OnSide are currently building four new Youth Zones in Oldham, Blackburn, Manchester and Carlisle. Plans are afoot to build four more in Wigan, Preston, Warrington and Birkenhead...if we can find the capital! For more information and news about OnSide visit www.onsidenorthwest.org.