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
News
Yet another major Deansgate Locks nightlife spot has closed in Manchester
Daisy Jackson
Deansgate Locks is set to lose yet another of its nightlife spots, with Ark confirming it will be shutting its doors ‘within weeks’.
The multi-room, multi-storey, multi-genre nightclub has been part of the canalside development for more than a decade, having first opened back in 2014.
At that time, Deansgate Locks was arguably Manchester’s leading nightlife destination, drawing hundreds of students and party-goers to its mix of venues.
The railway arches have been home to iconic clubs and bars including Baa Bar, Lola Lo, Revolution, and Sugar Buddha, as well as The Comedy Store.
But with news that Ark Manchester is closing too, it leaves only Popworld left at what was previously one of the city’s hottest destinations.
In a statement shared with the Manchester Evening News, a spokesperson for Stonegate said: “The hospitality sector continues to face significant challenges.
Ark Manchester will be closing for goodIt leaves Deansgate Locks with just one venue
“After careful consideration, and despite our best efforts, Ark Manchester is no longer commercially viable and we have taken the difficult decision to close the venue.
“Our priority is to support our hard‑working team during this time, and we would like to thank them for their commitment and dedication. We would also like to thank our guests and the local community for their support over the years.”
It’s believed that Ark Manchester will close on Deansgate Locks in the next few weeks.
Groundbreaking endometriosis tests could help catch diagnosis ‘years earlier’
Danny Jones
In some major public health news, two pioneering and crucially faster tests for endometriosis, which are set to be rolled out across Great Britain soon, could be about to reduce the time taken to diagnose the condition by several years.
That’s according to the National Institute for Healthand Care Excellence (NICE), who have issued an update revealing that the fresh testing technology could significantly speed up the process that can currently take the best part of a decade or even more.
In some cases, it can take upwards of 11 years to fully identify endometriosis, especially within certain ethnically diverse communities, but now the executive non-departmental public body has given the green light for the NHS to introduce the pair of expeditious testing methods here in the UK.
Announced on Tuesday, 7 July, the dual approach – one half of which is already being used domestically as part of a pilot study – won’t serve as a standalone diagnostic system in itself, but should help drastically reduce the time between suspected symptoms, confirmation and treatment.
In the UK, average diagnosis takes over 9 years.
Endosure and Endotest can now be used in the NHS while more evidence is gathered.
Emma Cox, chief executive of Endometriosis UK, said in a public statement: “Availability of these new tests needs to go hand-in-hand with education of GPs and practice nurses to ensure prompt access to those that need them, and an end to pain and symptoms not being recognised.”
The two prongs of this new approach revolve around the already in-trialEndotest®, currently being manufactured by French biotech company Ziwig.
Essentially a straightforward saliva test, it’s been recommended for wider use over some time now.
Meanwhile, the second step is ‘EndoSure’: a non-invasive test that uses “topical electrode pads similar to those used in an electrocardiogram (ECG) to measure the myoelectric activity of the smooth muscle of the GI tract”, with sensors placed on the stomach area.
You can see an instructional video explaining more information about the former down below.
Put in the simplest terms, in tandem, they could save one in 10 women lots of time and pain.
Dr Anastasia Chalkidou, healthtech programme director at NICE, went on to add: “A diagnosis of endometriosis can for some women take the best part of a decade […] That delay means living with chronic pelvic pain that affects daily life, relationships and work.
“These technologies have the potential to change that by giving primary care professionals better non-invasive tools to identify endometriosis earlier, allowing earlier and better treatment.
“Our draft guidance reflects our commitment to getting promising innovations to patients quickly, while making sure the evidence to support their wider use is built in a rigorous way.”
While both are still pending full approval and eventual scaling across the country, here’s hoping it can make the difference in the lives of millions of British women and beyond.
Emily Sergeant -
27th July 2022 
