A BIRCHWOOD nuclear waste firm continue to provide support and funding to one of Warrington’s biggest children’s charities.

Sellafield Ltd, based on Birchwood Park Avenue, have been founder patrons of Warrington Youth Zone since 2020.

The firm say they ‘could not be prouder’ to support the charity who provide a hub of activities for young children across the borough.

The incredible state of the art facility opened its doors on July 2, 2022, and has already made a significant impact, with over 8,500 members now registered and on average 1,500 young people attending each week.

Ages of attendee’s range from 7 to 19 (24 with disabilities) and everyone is supported by 95 employees and 110 volunteers that make up the workforce.

There are over 20 activities taking place at every session in the Youth Zone, with outstanding facilities including a climbing wall, roof top football pitch, arts and crafts, gym, boxing ring, music studio, drama, dancing and a studio with recording equipment.

Warrington Guardian: Warrington Youth ZoneWarrington Youth Zone (Image: Supplied)

They even have their own radio station. 

Pauline Deans, community liaison officer at Sellafield Ltd said: “We share a vision that all young people deserve opportunities to progress in life, to have the resources they need to do this, and this is why we are proud to support Warrington Youth Zone. 

“The Youth Zone has been a fantastic addition to Warrington, providing state-of-the-art facilities, mentoring and employability skills for young people, to better equip them for the future, provided by talented and enthusiastic leaders and volunteers.” 

The Youth Zone has an employability suite which aims to support young people who are not in education, employment or training, by equipping them with skills for the future and this is an area we are working together on. 

Positive feedback received from family of the children who attend the hub weekly have shown that 81 per cent of attendees feel ‘more prepared for the future’.

While 75 per cent feel less isolated and 60 per cent are now working harder in their educational settings.

Sophie Bentley, head of fundraising at WYZ, said: “We are so very grateful for the support of Sellafield, and are proud to call them one of our Founder Patrons.

“They share the same vision of transforming the lives of young people locally and are committed to enhancing our offer to young people in any way that they can.

“We are looking forward to working with them for years to come, providing crucial opportunities to our members and the local community.”