The greenlight has been given to build a brand-new Youth Zone in the heart of Salford, and it’s promised to bring “incredible facilities” to the community.
Thanks to a new partnership formed by Salford-born businessman Fred Done, Salford City Council, and Manchester-based charity, HideOut Youth Zone, and also with the support of national youth charity OnSide, the creation of the new state-of-the-art Youth Zone will “dramatically expand the opportunities” that are available to young people in the Greater Manchester city and wider borough.
Salford Youth Zone will take over two years to develop, and is set to be built in the heart of the city centre close to Salford Crescent train station and the University of Salford.
The new multimillion-pound space will be based on OnSide’s successful model, which has seen the charity develop 14 similar Youth Zones across the country, with five already currently in the region – HideOut Youth Zone in Gorton, Manchester Youth Zone in Harpurhey, Mahdlo Youth Zone in Oldham, Wigan Youth Zone, and Bolton Lads and Girls Club.
Aimed at young people aged eight to 19, or up to 25 for those with additional needs, Salford Youth Zone will open seven days a week and support around 4,000 young people.
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Salford Youth Zone will “dramatically expand the opportunities” available to young people in the area / Credit: HideOut Youth Zone
Members will get access to over 20 different activities every night, which range from sports like football, boxing, and climbing, to creative arts, music, drama, and even employability training – and all for just 50p per visit, or a £5 annual membership.
Trained youth workers and dedicated volunteers will also be on hand to offer guidance and support to help Salford’s young people thrive.
Salford Youth Zone will also create full and part time jobs, and up to 100 volunteering opportunities.
The new multimillion-pound space is to be built in the heart of Salford / Credit: HideOut Youth Zone
“Having been born and raised in Salford, I know just how much young people in the area would benefit from the opportunities available through a Youth Zone,” Fred Done said.
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“I have had the pleasure of supporting HideOut Youth Zone in Gorton to open its doors to thousands of local young people across Manchester, and now it’s time to take this to Salford and change the lives of many more.”
Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett added: “The young people of Salford rightly deserve to see this investment in state-of-the-art youth facilities on their doorstep in our great city, after years of cuts to youth services across the country and underfunding by national government of what should be statutory services.
“The Youth Zone will offer so many services, experiences and activities within the area seven days a weeks, helping our young people achieve their potential, whilst also providing a much needed environment for young people to come together, socialise, enjoy themselves and importantly have fun.
“We often say that “our young people are the future”, so it’s great to see us demonstrating this in the delivery of the first Youth Zone in Salford.
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“I’m really looking forward to seeing it complete and meeting the young who will use this fantastic facility.”
The creation of Salford Youth Zone is still subject to further feasibility assessments and to a formal planning consultation and application – which is proposed to take place later this year.
Featured Image – HideOut Youth Zone
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‘Please help me’ – Video shows domestic violence perpetrator screaming as police dog brings him down
Daisy Jackson
Greater Manchester Police has released a video of a police dog assisting in the arrest of a high-risk domestic violence perpetrator.
In the video, the 26-year-old suspect can be heard screaming and pleading for help as PD Kyp bites down on his thigh.
GMP says that the man had already been arrested for a serious assault on his partner yesterday morning (Thursday 7 November).
He had been handcuffed but managed to resist and escape officers, and the police dog and his handler were deployed to track him down in the nearby woodland.
The suspect had been kicking PD Kyp in the head and body, leading to the police dog biting his leg and taking him to the floor while officers caught up.
In the bodycam footage, the suspect screams ‘please help me’ and ‘he’s bitten my leg’.
District officers also discovered a large quantity of Class A drugs and weapons at the property in Hyde.
Watch a GMP police dog assist in the arrest of a domestic violence suspect (WARNING footage may be distressing)
#ARREST | Police Dog Kyp steps in to arrest dangerous offender wanted for domestic abuse, drugs and weapons offences.
PD Kyp immediately headed into the woodland and chased the man. The man was bitten around the thigh and taken to the floor.
The man was arrested on suspicion of serious assault, possession with intent to supply class A drugs and possession of offensive weapons (zombie knifes and machetes).
Following the chase with PD Kyp, the man was then further arrested on suspicion of escaping from lawful custody. He has been remanded into custody.
Superintendent Paul Walker, of GMP’s Specialist Operations Branch, said: “As he was wanted for serious offences and made off into the woodland area, PD Kyp was deployed to chase and detain the man.
“PD Kyp captured him within seconds and on doing so, the man kicked Kyp in the head and body several times.
“This resulted in PD Kyp biting the man around the thigh and taking him to the floor, waiting for his handler to arrive.
“This is a great example of the type of work our officers are doing every day – arresting a dangerous domestic abuse suspect quickly. One third of all GMP arrests are made in relation to domestic abuse related offences.
“We have also managed to take a number of dangerous weapons off the streets and away from .
“Sometimes we will have to use specialist resources to detain dangerous offenders, as was done in this instance. Using a Police Dog is just one of the many resources we have at our disposal.”
If you or someone you know has been a victim of domestic abuse or sexual assault, don’t suffer in silence and report it to the police by calling 101 or 999 in an emergency.
You can also report information and crimes on the GMP website (www.gmp.police.uk).
Alternatively, you can report information anonymously to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
There are also lots of organisations and support agencies available across Greater Manchester and nationally that can help and provide support for you.
For more information and to find the support services available to you, visit the GMP support pages.
Featured image: GMP
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Girls Aloud to release ‘Sarah’s Version’ of ‘I’ll Stand By You’ for BBC Children In Need 2024
Danny Jones
Pop royalty Girls Aloud are set to release a special edition of their 2004 song ‘I’ll Stand By You’, simply dubbed ‘Sarah’s Version’, for this year’s Children In Need broadcast.
The iconic British girl group returned earlier this year with a huge comeback nationwide tour which obviously sold out and they also won over crowds with their touching on-stage tributes to late singer Sarah Harding during their live performances.
Harding, 39, sadly passed away back in 2021 following a battle with breast cancer and was mourned across the country, especially here in the North, with a commemorative plaque and large mural of the Stockport-born songstress thrown up in her hometown back in May.
And now, as a way to help raise money for the annual BBC telethon and honour her once again, Girls Aloud will be re-releasing the well-known ballad.
‘I’ll Stand By You (Sarah’s Version)’ features Sarah on lead vocal throughout using vocals we discovered in the vault from the original recording sessions. The track played a key part in our ‘The Girls Aloud Show’ arena tour this summer & was an emotional moment for us all 🎙
Originally a cover of the 1997 track by The Pretenders and given that they were still so early into their career, the Noughties hitmakers naturally did multiple takes before landing on their final edit.
That being said, a version that has been rediscovered in digging through the archived recording sessions features Sarah Harding on lead vocals and now the band are set to let her voice shine through.
Airing for the first time on Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show on Wednesday, 6 November, ‘Sarah’s Version’ has already gone down an instant hit 20 years from its release, with the emotional punch of hearing Harding’s clearly hitting listeners hard.
‘I’ll Stand By You’ went straight to the top of the UK Singles Chart when it was first released and was their second-ever number one. We have a very strong feeling that the importance of this re-release will see it do exactly the same – just in time for Christmas, no less.
Fans were left spellbound during what was casually referred to as ‘Sarah’s moment’ on the Girls Aloud reunion tour, where they truly did allow her singing to become the star of the show:
As if the charity single wasn’t a tear-jerking enough prospect already, ‘I’ll Stand By You – Sarah’s Version’ is also set to be released on 15 November, just two days before what would have been Harding’s 43rd birthday. We’re not crying, you are.
In aid of The Christie and the Sarah Harding Legacy Project, more than £1 million has been raised in the Stopfordian’s memory and for breast cancer awareness through initiatives like the creation of the mural and members of the hospital doing charity runs, bike rides, swims and more.
Speaking on social media, the band added: “The track played a key part in our ‘The Girls Aloud Show’ arena tour this summer & was an emotional moment for us all.”
BBC Children in Need 2024 takes place next Friday (15 November) and highlights from their reunion tour, where ‘Sarah’s Version’ was first heard by the masses, will be shown on ITV at 8pm the following Sunday.
Emily Sergeant -
27th July 2022 
