myplace in Bath making a big splash

Tags: press | South West

News of the myplace centre to be built in Bath this summer has been hitting the headlines this week, being picked up by major media outlets such as the BBC website.

The £2.3m centre in Kelston View will sport some of the finest facilities for young people, including a community cafe, music studio; ICT suite and basketball court, and it's something the locals are happy to boast about.

Marianne Rowlands, a local resident and part-time youth worker at Southside, said: "The young people of Whiteway are worth something and deserve a high quality centre like this. The community has waited a long time for this."

Young people have already been involved in bringing myplace to their area, to replace the old Southside youth centre. Abby and Peter are two of the young people from the youth centre who worked on the funding bid with the Council. Abby Calley, 19, said: "This is fantastic news - this is going to be so good for the community and will be great for the young people who live in this area."

The publicity generated for the myplace centre by Bath and North East Somerset Council means that young people from surrounding communities can get excited about the opportunities that will be available to them, such as the variety of sports they will be able to take part in, including boxing, basketball, trampolining, street dance, and martial arts. The Council, youth workers and young people from the steering group who helped with the proposals know that reaching out to the community and getting everyone on board is essential to the success of myplace. What's the use in having world class facilities if no one knows about them?

Councillor Chris Watt, cabinet member for Children and Young People, said: "This is very good news for local young people, for the direct communities that Southside covers as well as the wider communities south of Bath... I am particularly pleased that this new venue will offer a secure site for the Bath boxing club and provide other sporting activities that which will give young people the space to let off steam."

The centre is to be fully accessible for young people with disabilities and will include a special sensory room for stimulating senses such as touch and sight. It will also include drug and alcohol support services, sexual health advice, training and employment advice, and counselling services, which will be delivered by partner organisations such as Connexions, the Children's Society and Project 28. To ensure that these important amenities are used to their full advantage by the young people who most need them, the groups who supported the proposal and revamp of the old centre are making sure they keep everyone up to date with the latest developments, and have been doing so since their grant application was accepted last year.

Click below to read all about the new myplace centre and the people involved in bringing it to the communities in Bath.