Salford’s new Youth Zone – SYZ – kicks off the new year with confirmation of its latest Founder Patron, Salboy.
Salboy has committed to a four-year patronage agreement, gifting £100,000 to the Youth Zone in its early development and opening.
Salboy is a Salford-born, now nationwide property development company with a proven track record for delivering quality, first-class developments and funding housing across the UK. In the last ten years Salboy has delivered over 3,250 homes across the UK in densely populated areas with high demand for new housing and is particularly active in Salford and neighbouring Manchester. The company has a further 1,200 homes under construction and 2,000 more in design.
The new partnership between Salboy and SYZ is a celebration of investment in contemporary developments within the city of Salford, forged by Simon Ismail, Salboy’s Salfordian founder and managing director.
Simon Ismail discussed the patronage agreement:
“It’s so important to me to give back to the city that made me. Salfordians support each other, it’s what we do.
Becoming a Founder Patron of Salford’s new Youth Zone is the perfect opportunity to show to Salford’s young people that we believe in their futures. The new Youth Zone will provide them with a safe and inspiring environment where they can figure out their passion and their purpose – whatever they want to do. I encourage other local businesses to get involved and show that they believe in the development and longevity of this great city, and look forward to collaborating with my future fellow patrons to ensure the Youth Zone’s success.”
Senior Philanthropy Manager of SYZ, Amanda Coverdale, said:
“We are thrilled to welcome Salboy to SYZ’s Founder Patron family. This newly developed relationship just makes sense, and we are proud that Simon has put his faith in us to deliver this project for his home city.”
Founder Patrons’ contributions combine to create 70% of the annual running costs of a Youth Zone, and the support will provide a foundation to develop and maintain excellent services for young people which match the quality of the building.
Following planning approval in October 2023, the construction of SYZ began at the end of January 24with completion estimated for 2025.
The exciting plans will see a purpose-built Youth Zone open seven-days-a-week, with more than 20 activities on offer every session for young people aged 8-19, or up to 25 for those with an additional need or disability.
The aim of the Youth Zone is to raise the aspirations, enhance prospects and improve health and wellbeing for young people in Salford, by providing affordable access to a wide range of programmes, services and activities including sports, arts, music, employability and mentoring.
