Wirral Waters celebrates The Hive’s success

A team from Wirral Waters has dropped in to meet young people at The Hive to see how Wirral Youth Zone is transforming the lives of over 4,000 young people.Richard Mawdsley, Peel L&P’s director of development at Wirral Waters, and founder patron of The Hive, met with a number of staff, volunteers and young people to take a look around the facilities and experience some of the support and activities offered by The Hive.

Wirral Waters, developed by Peel L&P, has provided £75,000 to The Hive over a three-year period since 2017, which has supported running and staffing costs as well as some ground-breaking new projects which tackle some of the issues faced by young people today, including poverty, mental health, disability and anti-social behaviour.

As a founder patron, Wirral Waters also helped to launch The Hive’s brand-new business club earlier this month, when Richard Mawdsley addressed local businesses about the Wirral Waters project, the opportunities it presents for local businesses and what to expect on site over the coming months.

The Hive is a £6m purpose-built facility, on Bright Street, aimed at young people aged from 8 to 19 and up to 25 years of age for those with disabilities. It also offers young people from across the Wirral access to a wide range of facilities, from sports and arts to music, drama, and employability workshops, at a cost of £5 for an annual membership and 50p per visit.

Since it opened in April 2017, The Hive has exceeded all expectations. It has brought down crime and antisocial behaviour in the area and offered a huge range of opportunities to young people.

Richard Mawdsley from Peel L&P said: “It was a real privilege to meet some of The Hive’s young people and the staff and volunteers who are making it all possible. The facilities at The Hive are wonderful and it offers a safe, positive and creative environment for young people which is much needed in the area.

“The Hive is very important to Wirral Waters and we are very proud to be a patron and offer our continued support. These young people are our future and the work and training opportunities that will arise at Wirral Waters will be created with and for these young people.

“It’s a very exciting time at Wirral Waters with lots of activity expected to start on site from this summer, which is the result of continued collaboration with the Council and public sector.

“This first phase of activity will really benefit the diverse Wirral community by providing new homes, jobs and training opportunities for all. Our support for The Hive is just part of our commitment to Birkenhead, and we are delighted to support the local community in this way.”

Adam Mellor, chief executive of The Hive, said: “The backing that The Hive has received from Peel L&P, even before we opened in 2017, has been nothing short of phenomenal. The company has believed in us from the start and, without them, we wouldn’t have been able to support so many vulnerable young people in our communities.

“Their initial generous funding made the dream of opening The Hive a reality, and the impact that we have made as a result cannot be overstated. We look forward to continuing our relationship with Peel L&P in the coming years and to watching the exciting Wirral Waters development come to fruition.”