1,500 register for summer fun at Blackburn’s £8million Youth Zone (From Lancashire Telegraph)

1,500 register for summer fun at Blackburn’s £8million Youth Zone

1:33pm Thursday 2nd August 2012 in Pendle

SUMMER holiday activities are in full swing at Blackburn’s £8million Youth Zone.

Each week of the summer break has been broken down into activities, and camps, suitable for all young people aged between eight and 21 .

Junior club manager David Palmer said: “There’s so much going on here now for youngsters. It’s a complete change to what they have had in previous years.

“We’re getting about 150 to 160 in each session, and the most popular bits are the kick pitch, where we split sessions into age and sex groups, dance classes, the music equipment, and the climbing wall.

“Last week I had a lad scale it in seven seconds, and now we’re thinking of bringing an awards scheme in.”

The next two weeks are focused on sports and art.

Until Sunday, there will be activities including Bollywood dance fitness, hip hop aerobics, cricket coaching, a football academy, judo, volleyball, and rounders.

In week three, beginning on Monday, young people will be encouraged to try their hand at art. Sessions run from 9am to 10pm most days, and are divided into junior and senior clubs, depending on age. From Monday, August 13, until the end of the holidays, a summer club runs from 9am to 4.30pm for eight to 14-year-olds, at a cost of £32 for the week, or £8 for the day.

Everyday there’s something new to try, from dancing, to sports, photography, and archery.

David said: “Since we opened officially six weeks ago, we’ve had 1,506 people register, which is fantastic considering our hope was 3,000 after 12 months. The feedback we’re getting from parents and children is very positive, and we’re finding that we’re not having to do much publicity because of word of mouth.

“It’s fantastic to work here. It’s a complete breath of fresh air from some of the local authority work I have done in the past.

“What particularly makes us stand out is that we are state-of-the-art, and you do have the opportunity to do things like record a professional record.”