University of Wolverhampton backing city's Youth Zone

The university's financial support will help contribute to the £1m a year running costs of the site which opens its doors in January.

The new Youth Zone, which will be called The Way, is being spearheaded by Wolves chairman Steve Morgan and is being built on the site of the former Scala Cinema in Worcester Street.

Professor Ian Oakes, deputy vice-chancellor of the university, said: "We are pleased to support the project because we are committed to developing the potential of our young people and we feel that supporting Wolverhampton's new Youth Zone is a perfect partnership which will help them fulfil that potential.

"We pride ourselves on giving young people opportunities; none-more-so than at this present time with the clearing process underway."

"Many of our students will benefit from the Youth Zone and the life choices it will offer them will be priceless.

"We are delighted to support The Way and look forward to the facility opening in January next year."

The new Youth Zone is a purpose-built facility for the city's young people aged eight – 19 and up to 25 with disabilities.

It will boast a multi-use four court sports hall, climbing wall, third generation floodlit pitch, fitness and boxing gyms, dance studio, music room, enterprise room, media suite, café, cooking area and a general recreation area.

The Way general manager, Alice Davey, said: "We are all delighted that the Youth Zone's local university has opted to back The Way.

"The University of Wolverhampton has a fantastic reputation, not just in the city, but across the country and their support and profile is going to be priceless.

"We feel many of the young people who will attend the Youth Zone will in some way feed into the University, be that as a young person who currently attends or a young person who may attend in the future – so the partnership has great synergy.

"The University of Wolverhampton's financial backing will massively help towards giving all young people of the city, somewhere to go, something to do and someone to talk to in their leisure time."

Underpinning the revenue funding from The Way's founder patrons is £5.5m of capital investment from The Morgan Foundation, The Queen's Trust, St James's Place Foundation, Sport England, Garfield Weston, Football Foundation and Keltruck.

Wolverhampton council is also investing more than £3m in The Way – towards both the development and running costs.