Up to £12m government cash has been awarded to three youth centre projects in Grimsby and Cleethorpes . The Trin Centre in Cleethorpes, Fusion Centre gym and
boxing club, and the future Horizon Youth Zone in Grimsby, have all been awarded cash from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's Youth Investment Fund. They are three of just 43 projects across
England to receive a slice of £90m funding. Wayne Bloy, managing director at Fusion, said: "I grew up just around the corner from here and it used to be a youth centre when I was a kid. They were great for making sure the younger generation had somewhere to go and to see their
Friends without just walking the streets., Read more : Grimsby man feels 'fobbed off' after LHP 'fail to clean up fly-tipping' outside home "Without this sort of thing, it leads to a rise in anti-social behaviour, which has become apparent in North East Lincolnshire at the minute. However, with an investment like this, it goes a long way to making sure that doesn't become normality." With the money, Wayne intends to improve almost every aspect of Fusion, adding to certain areas and creating completely new ones. "With the money, we'll be extending our youth gym and bringing in more equipment for people to use. "On top of that, we'll also be knocking down the old
Football changing rooms that have been here since before Fusion started. After that, we'll be looking to build a Youth Training and Education centre to help them with everyday life. "When Youth Centres started to shut down, including this one, there was a missed generation that have not had the support and guidance they need. We're trying to bridge that gap and give kids aspirations as well as giving them a bit of direction to be able to do something with their lives and that's what we all want." He added: "Being a local lad, when I'm able to bring this kind of development to a Youth Centre that I used to attend, it fills me with joy really." Culture Secretary, Lucy Frazer, said: "I want every young person to have the opportunity to access the kinds of life-changing activities which expand their horizons and allow them to develop vital life skills." How the Horizon Youth Zone will look from the outside, expected to open in early 2025. (Image: Grimsby Youth Zone) Meanwhile, the future Horizon Youth Zone has been awarded £5.7m for its construction, with up to £7.9m in contingency if costs rise. Trin Centre has been awarded £2.6m for a new sports facility, large car park and for initial running costs. Horizon, the OnSide Youth Zone in Grimsby, is expected to open in early 2025 in the former West Haven Maltings and Migar House buildings. The centre will be run as a local charity, with a private sector-led board. The latest cash means all its construction costs are covered. Wayne Bloy with The Fusion Centre Gym expansion where he hopes to improve youth facilities across the area (Image: GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford) National charity OnSide are delivering Horizon together with North East Lincolnshire Council. It contributed funding through the Greater Grimsby Town Deal. A National Lottery Heritage Fund grant of £2.7m was awarded in January 2022 too. Historic England, St James’s Place Charitable Foundation, Ørsted and private donors have also supported the scheme. It will be open to those aged between eight and 19 (up to 25 for those with additional needs), seven days a week, for just 50p a visit. Jason Stockwood, chair of the Horizon Youth Zone board, said: "This is a huge deal for Horizon Youth Zone, the partnership behind the project and Grimsby’s young people, as we can finally start building the youth centre. The Fusion Centre Gym's Expansion gets underway thanks to the £1.5 million funding (Image: GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford) "This major investment will provide young Grimbarians with incredible opportunities to find their voice, increase their confidence and gain new skills. I want to thank OnSide for their continued support and the DCMS for showing their belief in the Youth Zone and Grimsby’s young people." Facilities at the centre will include an indoor climbing wall, four court sports hall, a training kitchen,
music room with a recording studio, a fully equipped gym, dance and drama studio, 3G kick pitch, an arts and crafts room, and an enterprise and employability suite. It will be part of a network of 14 OnSide Youth Zones nationwide, supporting over 50,000 young people annually. "This is excellent news for young people in our area," said a North East Lincolnshire Council spokesperson. "We’ve been working with OnSide for several years to bring this development forward in one of our key Grade II listed heritage buildings in the town centre that’s been derelict for many years." The council will continue to work with OnSide on the project. OnSide is recruiting a chief exec for Horizon and site work will begin in April. Want to sign up to the Grimsby newsletter, but can't access the link below? Click here . Artist's impression of Trin Centre with new sports facility. (Image: Hyde Architecture) Over at Trin, the £2.6m for a new sports facility will include a new boxing gym with three rings, 15 punch stations and floor work area, a fully equipped gymnasium, a sports studio, treatment rooms, classrooms, offices and changing facilities. Andy Cox, Trin's executive director, said: "The project has been developed and designed by the young people in our community, they will be so excited and proud that the grant has been awarded through all their hard work." He added that for years the new sports facility had been something of a pipedream, and was delighted that it will now happen. Ray Blain, Trin's operations manager, said he was "blown away" by the plans when he started his role in January. He described it as the beginning of a "new and exciting era" and added: "We are currently at full capacity almost within the centre so to have this new facility in place it will take us to the next level and expand our reach and support to the local community even further." "The project has been developed and designed by the young people in our community, they will be so excited and proud," said Andy Cox, executive director of Cleethorpes Community Sports and Education at The Trin Centre. (Image: GrimsbyLive/Donna Clifford) Construction is expected to start in August and last 10-12 months. Once complete, it will create 15 new jobs as well, such as gym instructors and youth workers. Elsewhere in Humberside, Hull's The Vulcan Centre was awarded £851,000 to create a new youth zone and be able to host an extra 375 people a week. Though predominantly hosting young people from Hull and East Yorkshire, the centre does get some individuals travelling across from northern Lincolnshire, including Grimsby. READ NEXT Man travels 10 hours on train to learn why Grimsby crime rate is falling What life was like growing up in Grimsby from Woolworths to Netto Councillor stresses metal detecting restriction 'is not a ban' The radical building works to breathe 'new life' into Grimsby - and how much they will cost Melanie Onn ‘delighted’ to be selected as
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