Carlisle Youth Zone open for business

Tim Loughton, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Children and Families, has officially opened the new state-of-the-art Carlisle Youth Zone today.

The Minister gave his seal of approval at a special event to mark the official opening of the facility and met youngsters who will benefit from the centre's resources.The formal opening also saw Tim Loughton take part in a ‘Question Time' event where he was quizzed by some of the Youth Zone's young members. The event helped showcase the diverse range of activities and opportunities on offer at the modern club to a host of local dignitaries and guests.

Since it was unveiled to young people back in April, the Youth Zone has gone from strength to strength and recently gained its 1000^th member, five months ahead of schedule. It presents a safe and unthreatening environment for young people to meet and engage in a range of exciting activities and enterprise initiatives.

Located in the heart of Carlisle city centre, the Youth Zone is open all week, 52 weeks a year. Young people aged between eight and 21 years old, or up to 25 for people with disabilities, can become a member for just £5 per year and enjoy the modern facilities for as little as 50p per visit.£5 million capital funding for this state-of-the-art facility was provided by the Government's myplace scheme and revenue funding comes through a mix of council, private sector, NHS and never more than 10% from young people.

Tim Loughton, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Children and Families, said:

"This is one of the most impressive projects I've seen so far and there's huge enthusiasm, energy and determination to make this a success in Carlisle. Young people want and need better youth facilities and Carlisle Youth Zone has responded to those needs. I believe this will help showcase the talent that our young people have."

Sue Pennycook, Chief Executive of Carlisle Youth Zone, said:

"We are delighted that Minister Tim Loughton has officially opened our Youth Zone. Our main priority at Carlisle Youth Zone is to invest in young people and the response we have had already is extremely encouraging, not only for the development of the Facility but for the future of young people in Carlisle. However, we are a charity and still need strong partnerships with the public and private sectors to keep the good work going. Carlisle Youth Zone is a community asset."

To view photos of the opening click here.