Space 2016 lifts off today with hundreds of summer holiday activities on offer for youngsters across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent.
Space was originally an activities scheme led by police in Staffordshire aimed at engaging young people before it stopped in the 1990s. Space 2016, co-ordinated by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner for Staffordshire, is aimed at increasing skills, improving health and wellbeing, and creating opportunities for young people aged 11 and 17 to take part in positive activities to make communities safer.
Over 3,100 individual indoor and outdoor activities – many of them free of charge – are on offer including archery, tobogganing, ice-skating, swimming, boxing, arts and crafts, wildlife, ten-pin bowling, den building, drama, DJ mixing, dodgeball, fishing, football, gymnastics, kayaking, military challenge, movies, skating, music, photography, street dance, tennis, wheelchair basketball and trampolining.
Activities are filling up fast – with the full allocation of 500 unlimited leisure membership passes in Newcastle borough already being snapped up, for example – so people are urged to visit the Space website at www.staffordshirespace.uk to find out more and book their places.
Mr Ellis said: “I promised Space 2016 would happen and now it’s landed. There has been a lot of work to get us to this stage and I would like to thank all the organisations who have helped to make this possible. I’m looking forward to getting out and seeing Space in action across Staffordshire over the next few weeks.
“Last year Space saw more than 13,300 attendances by young people and it was great to see such positive activities taking place. The money I have pledged will help to increase young people’s personal skills and improve their health and general wellbeing by creating opportunities for them to get involved in during the school summer holiday. Places are getting booked up fast so check out the website and book your place soon.”
