Press Release - Jon Snow and Sarah Brown Re-open Award Winning Centre

23^rd February 2010:  Sarah Brown and Channel 4 News presenter Jon Snow will [this week] re-open the New Horizon Youth Centre, a rebuilt youth centre  offering world-class services to homeless young people in King's Cross.

  New Horizon chair Jon Snow said:

"For the first time since Lord Longford founded the centre 42 years ago, we have a building that is fit for purpose.  In this new centre we will have the capacity to deliver a range of high-quality services, including IT and accredited training, counselling and support, sports and music, youth activities and services responding to the most vulnerable in society. This will be a centre of excellence for young people in the 21^st century."

Sarah Brown helped launch the building appeal for the centre at a reception at 10 Downing Street two years ago.

John McAslan, the architect behind the remodelling of Kings Cross Station, and Edward Jones, master-planner for the Royal Opera House and the National Gallery's renovation, chose the winning design from 70 entries in a RIBA-sponsored competition to design the new centre.

The centre has been built with an investment of £1.5ml from the myplace, DfE funded programme as part of the Government's Aiming High strategy to support deprived young people.

New Horizon director Shelagh O'Connor said: "Homelessness remains a complex and far-reaching condition among young people. New Horizon provides a refuge where they can get help, training and advice - and where they can talk, eat and shower. The redesign of New Horizon has been steered by young people and will enable us to provide enhanced services responding to their needs. It will have the added benefit of being available to the local community for use for meetings and performances when the centre is closed." 

The centre's achievements were recently recognised with a Home Office Tackling Drugs Changing Lives award as National Drugs Team of the Year. In January New Horizon secured the Kings Fund - Impact Award as one of 10 centres across the country delivering outstanding health services.