Carlisle Youth Zone celebrated its 10th birthday this year and is looking to increase the number of businesses that support the service.

The Youth Zone has worked with children across the city for the past decade, helping to provide a safe space for them to meet.

The centre particularly aims to work with deprived children, providing them with a wide range of activities and experiences six nights a week.

Carlisle Youth Zone celebrated its 10th birthday in April after being set up in 2011 when a founder group of business people including David Allen, Andrew Tinkler, William Stobbart and Brian Scowcroft came together to try and get a place for the young people of Carlisle to be able to meet.

Since 2011, CYZ has had visits from royalty and even hosted the Radio One Big Volunteer. However, the centre has also withstood its difficulties such as when Storm Desmond hit Carlisle in 2015 and the centre had to be re-built.

Last year, the centre generated more than half it’s yearly income from “patron” donations. This makes the Youth Zone’s family of patrons vital to the continued running of the service.

Emma Rogerson, development co-ordinator at CYZ works with the funders on a regular basis.

She said: “Without our patrons, we just would not be here. It’s really important that we engage our patrons in what it is they are supporting here, the difference they are making to the lives of young people.

“The more businesses we have on board for the longer term, the more we can continue to support young people.”

One of the companies that has supported the Youth Zone for a number of years as a gold patron is the Cumberland Building Society.

Communications executive for the building society Becky Towns said that the relationship the Cumberland has built with CYZ is now about much more than a cheque, and that the Youth Zone relationship has had a really profound effect on the business.

She said: “We want to make sure that primarily we are having an impact that makes a positive difference to our communities. That’s more than just the monetary support,

“The relationship with the Youth Zone has been a brilliant example of that — we’ve really got to know the team there and understood some of the needs of the young people.”

She continued: “And from a business perspective, it’s really nice to hear first hand what matters to people in our local communities. It helps us as a business to understand and learn more about what’s really happening. This enables us to bring some of that insight back into the workplace and help shape our approach to provide even better services/experiences to support our customers.”

The communications executive has proved her willingness to get involved in the Youth Zone over the past year, becoming a mentor for young adults who use the service.

The sessions between virtual mentors and the young people they were matched up to have continued throughout the pandemic.

Becky encouraged people to get involved in the Youth Zone and sign up to be patrons. She said: “Spending time in the Youth Zone and seeing firsthand the work they do will automatically make you want to become a patron, because you feel so inspired and you think, ‘How can I help make a difference in my city for young people who are on the cusp of so many changes, especially in a year which has been difficult for so many?’.”

The Youth Zone currently has 77 patrons attached to its name, each at different grades based on the level of giving.

If you would like more details on how to become a patron for Carlisle Youth Zone you can email emma.rogerson@carlisleyouthzone.org.