Council’s latest successful bid to Youth Investment Fund will provide for renovation and new resources at much-loved facility
Higher Croft Children’s Centre in Blackburn has been awarded a Better Youth Spaces grant of £69,344 to fund renovation and new resources. The council’s Young People Services (YPS) team will use to repurpose the building to better suit the needs of the young people who use it.
On the ground floor, a sensory space will be created, ideal for those with special educational needs and/or disabilities (SEND). On the first floor, there will now be two universal youth work spaces. The new resources will include those to support creative music and podcasting, outdoor education, and sports and games. There will also be new specialist SEND resources.
The council’s YPS team works with young people aged eight to 18 years (or to 25 for those who have SEND) across the region. They provide targeted youth support, youth voice and participation initiatives and have a SEND inclusion project. The YPS team also commissions a range of universal services via local youth organisations.
Renovation work will begin in the new year, with £45,000 from the award going on capital building works, the rest on new resources.
The Better Youth Spaces fund is delivered by Social Investment Business (SIB) on behalf the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS).
The award follows successful bids by Blackburn with Darwen Council to the government’s Youth Investment Fund (YIF), with beneficiaries in the region including Darwen Youth Centre, Audley and Queen’s Park Children’s Centre, and the multimillion-pound post-16 SEND centre in Blackburn town centre.
Cllr Julie Gunn, Executive Member for Children, Young People & Education at Blackburn with Darwen Council, says: ‘We are really excited about the Better Youth Spaces funding, and it has arrived at the perfect time. The area has benefitted from substantial new house building, with a growing community hence the need for youth provision in this neighbourhood. Like the Family Hubs model, we want to develop the Children’s Centre network and create opportunities for supporting both families and young people in one building.’
Arianna Sultana, Deputy Youth MP for the council, adds: ‘As a young person, I believe increased youth space funding is essential for improving our local children’s centre because it plays such an important role in shaping our confidence, wellbeing, and sense of community. Too many young people don’t have safe, inspiring places where they can learn new skills, access support, or simply spend time with friends away from pressure or stress.
‘By investing in the children’s centre, we can create a space that truly reflects the needs of young people today: somewhere welcoming, creative, and accessible to everyone. Better facilities and more opportunities would not only give us positive activities to get involved in, but also help us feel valued and listened to. Funding this space is an investment in our futures, our skills, our mental health, and the strength of our community.’
Nick Temple, CEO of Social Investment Business which manages the Better Youth Spaces fund, says: ‘We are excited to be partnering with DCMS to support youth services in priority areas in England and create better youth spaces for young people. Through a combination of funding refurbishment projects and providing new equipment, it will bring opportunities for young people to participate in a whole range of enrichment activities – across sports, music and cultural activities. The fund will also help to expand access, create safer spaces, and make youth services more sustainable. This is a real boost for youth services in some of the communities which need it most, creating lasting impact for young people’s well-being.’
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