A CEO of a technology company has pledged £100,000 to support the charity behind the new Salford Youth Zone.
Paul Shannon recently committed to another four-year patronage agreement with Empower Youth Zones to support its developments across Manchester and Salford.
Part of the money is expected to go towards the development of the new £12 million Salford Youth Zone (SYZ) on Belvedere Road in Pendleton. SYZ is expected to be completed in early 2025 and will supposedly provide an answer to the lack of youth provisions in the city.
The Salford Mayor Paul Dennett said he imagines the facility ‘transforming people’s lives’ by giving children and young people opportunities.
A long-time supporter the charity, the CEO first got involved with HideOut Youth Zone as CEO of Founder Patron ANS Group Limited, before then deciding to become a Founder Patron in his own name. He regularly shows support in attending fundraisers and has spoken at several Empower events.
Paul Shannon said: “Spaces like this are totally invaluable. I grew up in a deprived area of Warrington and there was nothing even on any scale like this at all and now to see places like Harpurhey, then Gorton and now coming to Salford is just incredible.
“I think the key strengths of these Youth Zones is that they don’t just focus on having fun, they obviously have fun, but they are getting careers advice, mental support, help with school, access to tech, drama, music, it’s all there. That’s really important to me.
Empower Youth Zones is a charity that creates and operates purpose-built Youth Zones for young people across Manchester and Salford.
To delivery impact, Empower relies on sustained backing from its founders and dedicated patrons, with patron contributions covering 70 per cent of the annual running costs of the Youth Zone.
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