Ceremony marks youth hub opening after renovation

Lord Blunkett and Jayne Dunn, the Lord Mayor of Sheffield, cut the ribbon to open the newly refurbished centre

A children and young people's charity has celebrated the opening of its new youth hub after renovation work was able to go ahead thanks to a government grant.

Sheffield's Chilypep, working with community regeneration charity SOAR, has transformed the space at its Southey Hill base using £1.4m from the Youth Investment Fund.

The multi-purpose space would be used to host dance, sport, and drama activities, and featured a new "digital hub" with computers, according to Chilypep.

Lesley Pollard, the charity's CEO, said it "means the world" to see the project completed.

"This is the hardest thing I've ever done in this job, and I've been in it for 24 years," she said.

'Safe spaces'

The Chilypep charity has been based in the Southey area since it was established in 2000, but until now it never had an adequate space for its youth work.

Ms Pollard said it was more important than ever that young people had "safe spaces within their communities, and they feel like they're part of them".

Victoria, 17, one of the charity's young ambassadors, helped to work on the renovation plans and secure the bid for funding after the charity visited her school.

She explained: "Young people don't really get heard as much. We're seen as younger so, 'you don't know what you're saying'.

"Being an ambassador, I can communicate what young people want to see happen and how we need help."

'Full potential'

One 17-year-old member of the charity's Happy Group, which works with young asylum seekers, said he thought the new hub was "amazing".

He said he had been scared when he first arrived in the UK from Sudan because he had come alone, but the group had helped him make friends who had gone through similar experiences.

The opening ceremony for the new hub was attended by the Rt Hon Lord Blunkett of Brightside and Hillsborough, who cut the ribbon together with Councillor Jayne Dunn, Lord Mayor of Sheffield.

Lord Blunkett said: "The young people of north Sheffield deserve youth facilities that meet their needs and help them to aspire to reach their full potential.

"I'm particularly encouraged that young people themselves have been involved in this project from the start."

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