Celebration of the historic Lambton Street Youth & Community Hub’s refurbishment officially opened by Northumbria Police & Crime Commissioner, Kim McGuinness.
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00:00 Well there hasn't been a lot of investment over the last 20 years maybe in youth centres.
00:05 They're very important to young people. Young people need somewhere to go in the evening.
00:10 We're trying to get young people there. The idea is with young people is to bring them
00:14 into the centre, empower them, give them activities and a positive lifestyle. We're trying to
00:19 educate them or get them ready for adulthood and that's all we're trying to do with them.
00:25 Sunderland's Lambton Street Youth and Community Hub is an award-winning organisation originally
00:29 established in 1901 and is one of the oldest youth and community centres in Europe. Originally
00:35 a boys club and synonymous with boxing, the organisation has evolved over the years to
00:39 become a youth and community hub for everyone. I come here today to see a centre in the heart
00:45 of a community for young people that has had investment in it, central government investment
00:51 through the Youth Investment Fund to make it look brighter and smarter and improve the
00:56 facilities for young people is a really good thing to celebrate.
01:02 The official opening of the new refurbishment was carried out by Northumbria Police and
01:05 Crime Commissioner Kim McGuinness and attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Sunderland. Lambton
01:11 Street is currently at a historic junction with manager of 33 years Kevin Howard stepping
01:16 down and handing over to the centre's first ever female manager, Marie Mould.
01:22 You know I would like in the next five years for us to be providing more of these places
01:25 for young people. Everyone should have access to a trusted mentor away from home and school,
01:31 everyone should have access to things like the sports and the arts and the culture and
01:36 the opportunity to come together that places like this have. We're all here this evening
01:42 for an event to reopen this building but while we're here all of those activities are still
01:47 going on, you know there's boxing going on, there's judo going on, there's dancing, they're
01:51 in the gym. It's packed and it shows you that if you provide this people use it and they
01:56 need it and they appreciate it and they want it.
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