A huge thank you to Ange Williams from Biddulph Youth and Community Zone for submitting this article. The Zone has secured funding to build a new community gym and dance studio. Congratulations!

Christmas came a few weeks early for Biddulph Youth and Community Zone with some amazing news that it had successfully secured a further three years funding from the National Lottery, and funding from Sport England to build a new Community Gym and Dance Studio.

Biddulph Youth and Community Zone is a vibrant multi-purpose community organisation, providing a wide range of services and opportunities for local people of all ages - from pre-school activities and youth projects, support for older people and carers, to free legal advice, volunteering and supporting employment and offering training placements.

The centre provides a resource for the community in Biddulph and surrounding areas, while also delivering on-site and outreach youth services.

We have been serving the community for over five years now. Having been set up by a small group of volunteers, the organisation has grown to more than we could have ever imagined.

Today, we are a locally managed not-for-profit organisation. We continue to provide support and opportunities for those facing disadvantage, social exclusion, those in need of support or somewhere friendly to come and meet people.

However, it was with a heavy heart that in mid-March, along with the rest of the world, our activities were scaled back, and our doors closed to all but essential services, in line with Government guidance. In such times, we all, but particularly our most vulnerable, have needed support more than ever.

And so, the Biddulph community stepped up to the challenge and The Zone cemented its role at the heart of that community. Working with organisations such as the local and county councils, JCB, Support Staffordshire, Gerald Harrisons, Period Power, Tesco, Ornua Foods UK, Morrisons, Fareshare, New Vic Borderlines, Biddulph Local Peoples Project and Oasis Church to name a few.

The Zones army of volunteers collected and delivered prescriptions, completed shopping, and delivered food parcels to those shielding, as well as ensuring that our Free Food Friday and Community Fruit and Veg projects have continued uninterrupted throughout lockdown.

During this time, we reflected on the amazing work that had been happening at the Community Zone and we knew we needed to continue our work and create a sustainable Community Centre, therefore applied for further funding from the Big lottery and were successfully awarded £269,000 over a 3-year period.

The funding will help us work towards a more sustainable future and continue to support the Biddulph Community. Also, some of the funding will enable us to employ a new member of the team that will focus on fundraising and bid writing, again to ensure the future, sustainability and that The Zone are still around for many more years to come.

One of our busiest projects at the community zone is our fitness sessions, whether that be our Over 60s exercise class or our HIT Sessions, kid's fitness sessions or sport sessions, as well as working in partnership with Biddulph Boxing Club.

Therefore following on from a consultation, it was evident that the community wanted us to provide additional services to its community and this included a gym with a small weight area and Dance studio. Having a dance studio would enable us to offer Dance Classes, Yoga, Tea Dance for the older community and Aerobics. It would be a community space that can be used for all ages and a range of different activities. The Gym and dance studio would create to serve and unite the community.

Our goal is to bring people together to encourage and support one another on the road to better living. Following a successful application for funding from Sport England we have been awarded £45,000 to fulfil this.

Got an opinion or something to share - why not have your words published on Biddulph Nub News? Anyone is welcome, and you would be credited as the author of the article! Visit biddulph.nub.news and click the "Nub It" button to post, or email [email protected]