Water company lead the WEYE

04/08/2010

Support is pouring in for a project that will provide a brighter future for youngsters in Newcastle’s West End.

Northumbrian Water has donated £4,000 towards the refurbishment of the West End Youth Enquiry Service (WEYES), on Westgate Road.

WEYES, which is run by the charity Children North East, offers confidential advice, support and information to young people aged 11 to 25, who live, study or work in one of the city’s most deprived areas.

The service operated from a rented, run-down Victorian terrace for a decade, until the charity was given the opportunity to buy the building at Graingerville North, Newcastle upon Tyne, in 2008.

Buying the building was crucial to safeguard the future of the WEYES project, as its location is central to all areas of the West End, allowing anonymous and non-threatening access to young people from any part of the area.

The house was in such a poor condition that the WEYES service has been forced to move into temporary accommodation on the city’s Grainger Park Road until next week, when the doors will open once again.

Around 3,500 young people drop into WEYES each year to access the services it has to offer. Since its launch 12 years ago, the project has grown in strength and now reaches out to a wider community. The centre provides assistance with health issues, including mental and sexual health and offers advice on a wide range of topics including education, literacy and numeracy, housing, drugs and personal safety.

Users of the WEYES project were given an input into the new building layout, and a youth forum of eight service users selected the colour scheme for the building.

Carol Taylor, senior fundraiser at Children North East, said: “When we rented the building, we were unable to do any improvement work to it so the centre was run-down and in need of urgent repair when it came up for sale.

“We’re relying on fundraising to refurbish the centre and create a state-of-the-art facility for future generations of young people. Donations like the one from Northumbrian Water will help the centre achieve its full potential.”

WEYES service user, 17 year old Mark Oxley, from Newcastle’s West End, said: “I’ve been using the WEYES centre for two and a half years and the refurbished building is a huge improvement.

“I was part of the youth forum who met with architects to discuss ideas for the building. The finished result is everything we wanted. It looks really vibrant, there is plenty of natural light and the kitchen is the hub of the building so visitors have a place to relax and chat.”

Jane Davison, of Northumbrian Water’s corporate responsibility team, said: “WEYES has developed an excellent relationship with the community in the West End of Newcastle.

“Our donation will ensure that some of Newcastle’s most vulnerable young people continue to have somewhere to go to on their doorstep for help and support.”

To find out more about the WEYES service, visit www.weyes.org.uk. To donate to the appeal, call 0191 256 2444 or visit www.justgiving.com/weyes.

For more information contact Leanne Clough on 0191 301 6733.