Blackburn’s revamped Audley and Queen’s Park Children’s Centre is nearing completion after a major upgrade.
Once completed, the new community hub will be able to offer a universal youth provision for the very first time.
The revamped centre in Pringle Street is scheduled to reopen this spring.
It already hosts a nursery and adult learning centre.
Blackburn with Darwen Borough Council secured £1.1million for the project through the government’s Youth Investment Fund (YIF).
Young people will now have access to a gaming area and a STEM suite – with a focus on cyber skills.
Life skills will be improved via a new teaching kitchen and the café area has also been refurbished.
The IMO charity will run the youth centre and have worked in the Audley and Queen’s Park area for the last twenty years.
The hub will offer outreach work including educational and mental health support, employability and targeted assistance for young people not in education, employment or training.
There will also be support for parents and guardians.
The refurbishment is part of a £10m YIF investment in facilities for young people across the borough which has also seen the doubling in size of Darwen Youth Centre in Knott Street, the expansion of Blackburn Youth Zone with a brand new employment and skills hub in the unused neighbouring Fuse Box building, and the revamp the Shadsworth Hub into a new youth centre.
Blackburn with Darwen Council children’s services boss Cllr Julie Gunn said: “This project at Audley and Queen’s Park Children’s Centre will bring youth provision right to the very heart of this community.
“It is great that we managed to secure the funding, but what is much more important is what we can deliver now with IMO.
“As a council we can only do so much, but together projects like this can help make a real difference.”
IMO chief executive Mohammed Tayyab Sidat said: “This new youth facility is much needed and will be invaluable in supporting our youngsters.
“This youth facility will be open seven days a week and will help support young people and their parents and carers at the heart of the community.
“There will be a huge range of sessions – from educational support to employability and more.”
The Audley and Queen’s Park Children’s Centre work has delivered by Farnworth contractor Seddon, which recently completed the YIF redevelopment at Darwen Youth Centre.
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