Grant boost heralds new look for youth centre

The grant will pay for a much-needed refurbishment of Throston Youth Project in Wiltshire Way, which runs a range of evening activities for young people aged 13-19 and up to age 25 with SEND.

The Council’s Hartlepool Youth Services team bid for the money from the Youth Investment Fund, which aims to transform and level up opportunities for young people in England.

As well as a new kitchen being installed in the 1970s building, the main activities room will be redecorated and the front of the building will be transformed with new doors and windows and rendering.

The work will start at the end of April and will take about 18 weeks to complete.

Hartlepool Youth Services' Rachael Garlick and Sarah McCluskey, Councillor Jim Lindridge, youth centre users Amy Naylor, Georgia Robson, Finlay Mulgrew, TJ Hall and Willow Mulgrew, and PFC Trust’s Sally Dunne, Joseph Dunne and George Stannard celebrate

Councillor Jim Lindridge, Chair of the Council’s Children’s Services Committee, said: “This is great news for the centre – the improvements will give it a fresh new look, making it much more welcoming for the young people and for other residents who also use the building.

“Well done to the Hartlepool Youth Services team for yet another success in gaining national funding to create good experiences and opportunities for the young people of our town.”

The grant has also been welcomed by the PFC Trust, which owns the building – which is called the Gus Robinson Centre - and leases it to Hartlepool Youth Services.

George Stannard, a PFC Trust trustee, said: “The PFC Trust is so pleased that the Hartlepool Youth Services’ successful bid means improvements to the Gus Robinson Centre, Throston Youth Project.

“To hear that the Youth Investment Fund has now granted the funds for much-needed refurbishments to the Project is exciting and we are looking forward to seeing those carried out to the building.”