Queen's £500k for Wolverhampton youth zone
A youth zone being created in Wolverhampton has been given a £1 million funding boost, with cash coming from a charity fronted by the Queen.
The £6m development, which is backed by Wolves owner Steve Morgan, will open in 2015.
It was announced today that the Queen's Trust and St James' Place Foundation have each donated £500,000 towards the ambitious scheme.
Around 35 jobs will be created as part of the new zone off Worcester Street.
A four-court sports hall, fitness suite, recreation area and space for dance, music, arts and crafts are all planned for the site which used to house the Scala cinema.
There will also be martial arts and boxing facilities, a 'chill out zone' and rooms where teenagers can get mentoring, counselling and advice.
Youth zones have already been set up in Carlisle, Blackburn, Oldham, Manchester and Wigan.
Today's funding announcement is the latest show of royal support for youth zones, following the Queen's visit to the Manchester one on Thursday.
Wolverhampton's Youth Zone is being developed by the city council, the Morgan Foundation and the OnSide Youth Zones charity.
Bill Holroyd, chairman of OnSide, said: "The support of The Queen's Trust and St James's Place elevates our charity to a national level and will have a radical effect on our ambitious plans to extend the reach of our Youth Zones project."
Wolverhampton City Council has already pledged £3m towards the scheme with a further £1m coming from The Morgan Foundation.
