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'We cannot let dream youth zone close to kids'

Stuart Pollitt & Gemma Sherlock
BBC News, Liverpool
BBC A man wearing a hard hat and hi-vis jacket stands in a building siteBBC
Trustee Tony Clarke said the centre needs more money to complete its expansion

A youth hub which has been a haven for Merseyside children for 60 years will not be able to fully reopen if extra funds are not secured, trustees have said.

The Bronte youth and community centre opened in Liverpool in the 1960s with an aim to give children a safe space to learn and have fun.

Last year it was given £3.4m to renovate the building off Brownlow Hill but a rise in costs means the centre needs another £750,000 to complete the project.

Trustee Tony Clarke, who has had five generations of his family go to the youth centre, said: "If we don't raise the extra money, we are not going to be able to open that often."

"We won't be able to afford to pay the staff, it's that simple. So we need to try and find the extra money," he added.

A yellow sign on a wall next to a building site which reads - Liverpool help us, give every kid every chance
The Bronte has been supporting children since the 1960s

The Bronte offers a range of programmes for young people aged 5-18 and up to 25 for people with special educational needs.

It was awarded a grant from the Youth Investment Fund to make the renovation of its new state-of-the-art facility a reality.

A young girl with dark hair, wears a grey Nike jacket, and smiles in the sunshine
Shane said she cannot wait for the new Bronte to open so more memories can be made

Shane, 11, said: "I couldn't tell you how excited I am for the new Bronte to come because it means a thousand more memories are going to be made and kept in our hearts.

"I feel like The Bronte is part of my family, it's my second home".

The Bronte A digital drawing of a brick building with large glass windows and a yellow sign on the roof saying BronteThe Bronte
An artist's impression of what the new Bronte could look like

The Bronte has launched a fundraising campaign in an attempt to raise the extra money it needs to complete the renovation.

The centre's "Big Build" fundraiser has so far raised £4,850 of the £750,000 needed but Laura Cain, centre manager, said it has been a "struggle".

She said: "We have had to offer a limited youth service but we've just been glad to keep it going, we didn't want to close it down completely.

"There needs to be a safe space for children to come. We all know the rise in knife crime and it's good just getting young people off the streets and involved in positive activities."

The trustees are hopeful if they can complete the redevelopment they will be able to support up to 400 children a week.

Ms Cain added: "We know once we are back in The Bronte it could be open potentially be seven days a week, rather than at the minute struggling with our two nights a week".

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