Horizon Youth Zone officially opened its doors on Saturday 14 February, welcoming hundreds of young people and families across North East Lincolnshire.
Located in the heart of Grimsby, Horizon Youth Zone is housed within the beautifully restored and repurposed Grade II listed West Haven Maltings and Migar House. The brand-new charity-run service will provide a safe, inspiring place for young people to spend their leisure time, benefitting around 1,200 young people every week, with a full seven-day-a-week programme.
The project has been made possible through a variety of partnerships and funders including the Youth Investment Fund. OnSide, the charity behind Youth Zones nationally, received a £7,945,883 Youth Investment Grant in 2023 to support the development, covering about 50% of the project costs.
Grand opening
The launch included special guests Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy MP, Leader of North East Lincolnshire Council Philip Jackson, Interim CEO of North East Lincolnshire Council and Horizon Trustee Sharon Wroot, and Chair of the Board Jason Stockwood. Great Grimsby and Cleethorpes MP Melanie Onn, Mayor of North East Lincolnshire Janet Goodwin, Lord Lieutenant of Lincolnshire Toby Dennis were also there to celebrate, along with young people from Horizon’s Young People’s Development Group (YPDG) who cut the ribbon and officially declared the Youth Zone open.
In the morning guests gathered at the viewing platform into the 4-court sports hall for the unveiling of Ambition, Simon Armitage’s poem. The poem was turned into a mural for the sports hall wall by local street artist Ollie Marshall, who worked with young people from the YPDG to highlight what it meant to them, using their handwriting and drawings to bring the poem to life. The mural and poem will be a lasting legacy for the young people who helped create the Youth Zone and inspire young people for years to come.
Young people and their families explored over twenty activities in their new, state-of-the-art space, with Horizon’s expert youth work team on hand to guide them through. From scaling the climbing wall and creating music in the music room and recording studio, to expressing themselves through arts and crafts, dance and drama, the young people of North East Lincolnshire were able to have fun and find out more about what Horizon can do for them.
Young people in the zone
Built on the successful OnSide Youth Zones model, Horizon offers state-of-the-art facilities in a safe, inclusive and vibrant space, providing over 20 fun and engaging activities every session for thousands of young people. Sessions include sports, arts, media, dance, drama, cooking and employability workshops.
It was named Horizon Youth Zone by local young people, providing an inspirational, locally owned community asset in the heart of the town that will drive positive change for young people for generations to come. For the local community, this new space for young people, overlooking the river Freshney, will be a symbol of a renewed belief in the potential of young people. For young people, including those that have been involved in the development of its name and design, it means having a safe and inspiring place to be part of.
Made possible by partnerships
Horizon Youth Zone in Grimsby has been made possible through partnerships with North East Lincolnshire Council, the National Heritage Lottery Fund, the UK Youth Investment Fund, St James Charitable Trust, Architectural Heritage Fund, Historic England, OnSide Youth Zones, Greencoat UK Wind, Ørsted, and local businesses and philanthropists who have joined our Founder Patron family.
