Businesses are being urged to help fund facilities at a flagship new youth hub in Stoke-on-Trent, after one major donation paid for a state-of-the-art recording studio.
Cannock-based social impact funder UKSE, which works with companies across the West Midlands, made its donation after reading about the ambitious project in Daily Focus.
YMCA North Staffordshire on Harding Road, in Hanley, has received £1.98 million funding from the Government’s Youth Investment Fund to build the two-storey Youth Hub as an extension to its existing headquarters.
They’ve set a fundraising target of £40,000 to fit out the building with furniture and kit for young people. You can find out more and make a donation here.
Set to open in winter 2024, it will feature a training kitchen, art room, chill-out room, digital suite, recording room and computer training room.
The recording room will provide a private, bespoke space for young people to create their own music and delve into the world of podcasting.
UKSE regional executive Mike Lowe commented: “We are thrilled to be able to provide the YMCA with the funding needed to kit out the Youth Hub’s new recording room.
“UKSE’s main aim is to help businesses grow and prosper for the benefit of the community, and YMCA North Staffordshire plays a very important role in supporting young people.
“The recording room will help young people develop valuable practical skills that will build up their confidence and boost their employment opportunities in the long term.”
YMCA North Staffordshire director of communities and partnerships Nicky Twemlow said: “We are very grateful to receive this funding from UKSE, especially as they are the first organisation to offer us their financial backing.
“The new recording equipment will bring young people’s vision of the recording room to life and give them the opportunity to develop new skills that they would not get otherwise.”
Providing strategic loan and equity packages of up to £1m to generate growth, create local job opportunities and bolster the economy, UKSE’s local team based in Cannock was recently set up to support SMEs across Birmingham, the Black Country, Coventry, Staffordshire and Telford.
UKSE is a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Steel UK Limited with a mission to enable and encourage businesses and the people behind them to create jobs, grow and prosper, within communities affected by current or historic changes in the steel industry and its jobs.
- To find out more about UKSE, visit www.ukse.co.uk.
