BLACKBURN has one of the highest percentages of young people in the country as a proportion of its population, and 7,500 young people live within a mile of the town centre.

At Blackburn Youth Zone, 200 of them can be catered for at any time, in the 2,300sqm facility, in Jubilee Street.

Membership costs a one-off fee of £3, and then 50p per visit.

Members can enjoy more than 20 activities every night, seven days a week, 365 days a year.

The Youth Zone, which was designed by architect Mark Serventi along with several young people, has a full size sports hall, which houses a variety of sporting and fitness activities, including tennis, badminton, football, unihockey, netball, dodgeball, and more.

A state-of-the-art gym and fitness suite features cardiovascular equipment and tools for weight resistance training.

There’s an outdoors football pitch on the roof, and climbing and bouldering walls.

An expansive dance studio with training mirror and barre, visual arts apparatus and programmes, and arts and crafts workshops are situated elsewhere in the building. And so is a ‘chill out zone’, with music, small games and a gaming zone.

The building also hosts a performance space that is customisable. It can hold big gigs or performances, or more intimate, smaller shows.

A media suite features state-of-the-art music production equipment and tutorials, and video editing and film making tools.

Mentoring and personal support is also available at the Youth Zone, including an extensive mentoring programme, advice and guidance, and one-to-one support.

To get involved you can donate to the appeal directly, or hold a fundraising event.
To request a fundraising pack or to donate online, visit http://www.blackburnyz.org/youngleaders.
Alternatively, you can text BYZA01 and the amount you’d like to donate (either £2, £5, £10, or £20) to 70070.
For example, to donate £5, text BYZA01£5 to 70070.
You can also donate over the phone with a credit or debit card by calling 01254 292001.