The Cardboard Box Company is a Founding Patron of Blackburn Youth Zone and has supported the charity since it first opened in 2012. After The Cardboard Box Company heard about the new Youth provision in Darwen, the East Lancashire business agreed to extend their support by pledging further funds to make a difference to support the town’s transformation.
Youth Zone Darwen is a safe and exciting space for Darwen’s young people to spend their spare time seven nights a week. The hub is a social space in the town centre, with sports and arts activities delivered from key locations across Darwen, ensuring there is something for everyone.
Youth Zone Darwen originally opened temporarily during the Coronavirus pandemic. After realising the high need for this service, Wayne Wild set out on a mission to secure the funding to keep the service alive.
Wayne Wild, Youth Zone trustee and Chairman of Darwen Town Deal:
“We’ve been absolutely blown away by the amount of support for Youth Zone Darwen and proud that the Patron network keeps on growing; we want this to be a lifetime project. Local businesses can see what a difference Youth Zone Darwen is already making to the lives of young people; young people have already visited the centre 12,000 times.
Being a Patron connects like-minded business leaders together, who want to invest in the next generation, as the next generation is going to be our future employees of the town. Businesses also need to prioritise having a successful Environmental Social Governance agenda that will benefit their community and serve their employees; pledging to become a Patron will support your ESG.’
Ken Shackleton, Managing Director from Cardboard Box Company:
“We have been proud Patrons and good friends with the Blackburn Youth Zone for over a decade now – and we have seen the life-changing impact Blackburn Youth Zone has had on young people’s lives; pledging further funds to support the Youth Zone Darwen service was something we were definitely going to do, especially as our business originated in Darwen. Our ESG agenda is integral to our businesses, ensuring we support our local community and reach as many young people as possible.”
If you are interested in joining the network and becoming a Patron, please contact melanie.thomas@blackburnyz.org
