The Alt Valley Skills Centre is a hub and safe haven for all young people, specialising in supporting young people with learning difficulties and special needs across Liverpool.
It’s a partnership bringing together Alt Valley, NSC Care and Neighbourhood Services Company, dedicated to providing young people with social care, life skills, education, training, social and wellbeing activities. Its youth service project will now get a major upgrade and renovation, thanks to a much-needed Youth Investment Fund grant.
Young people love coming to Alt Valley, a space that came into use just before Covid and became a vital safe space for young people throughout the pandemic, to support the reintroduction of its care service in line with government Covid guidelines. The space within the centre supported the return of young people in smaller well-spaced groups taking the strain off parents and carers, reducing anxiety, and helping to support young people’s health and wellbeing at a challenging time.
Young people loved the new space, set in a former church, and when the opportunity to bid for a Youth Investment Fund grant, young people said they wanted to stay in this lovely building. Young people have played a key role in developing the renovation project, sharing ideas about the space and activities on offer.
I am excited to try new activities and be able to see my friends more often.
One of the young people who loves coming to Alt Valley
The Youth Investment Fund grant will transform the building and its extensive grounds to develop work and employment opportunities for young people which will add to the sustainability and development of the project, such as catering and gardening, horticulture, and arts and crafts activities.
Once completed it will house a fully functional dual-purpose kitchen suitable for young people and for training, a craft area to both develop skills and produce items for sale, and a bespoke IT/Digital zone for training classes and socialising. There’s also a gym for exercise linked to individual care plans, a dance area, a theatre space for classes and films, a classroom for training, a social area for evening and weekend events. It’s all been designed to give young people opportunities to help build confidence, raise self-esteem, improve health and wellbeing, and develop new interests.
A much-welcomed refurbishment to increase the provision of youth activities and help improve the health and wellbeing of young people with special needs.
Alt Valley Skills Centre care team
