Latest news with #OnSide
BBC News
31-03-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Charity advocate is made Lancashire's new High Sheriff
A former property chief and a champion for youth and prison charities is Lancashire's new High Carter is set to be installed in the position in a ceremony at County Hall in Preston on philanthropist, who lives in Chorley, said he intends to "do all he can to make a difference" in the county during his year in 69-year-old said his heart "skipped a beat" when he received a phone call from Buckingham Palace, notifying him of his Royal appointment. He told BBC Radio Lancashire he was relishing his year in the historic Sheriffs are largely ceremonial and focus on supporting the monarchy's interests, the judiciary and law enforcement, while also supporting voluntary and other local organisations. Mr Carter, who is currently Deputy Lieutenant, has been a passionate advocate for OnSide, a national charity aiming to develop youth zones in all major urban centres in the UK, for about 15 was until recently a board member at both Chorley and Preston Youth Zone. 'Very moving' The 69-year-old said: "I've had a lump in my throat from seeing what can be achieved by kids who've come in, troubled, with no self-esteem and left with careers."Mr Carter is also a member of the employment advisory board at HMP Lancaster Farms, working alongside Edwin Booth, chairman of the Booths supermarket chain, to help released prisoners find work and said it was "very moving" work. During his year of office, he said he wants to bring the national charity Getting Court - a preventative and educational initiative that aims to keep young people out of trouble - to his charity work Mr Carter has also had an extensive career in property and construction including almost four decades at the Lancashire-based Eric Wright Group where he was chief executive and deputy company is owned by the Eric Wright Charitable Trust, which invests profits back into the long-serving Lancashire Enterprise Partnership board member also chaired the City Deal Board, which secured £400m of government infrastructure funding for Preston and South Ribble. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer.
BBC News
30-01-2025
- General
- BBC News
Crewe Youth Zone excavation reveals historical items
The remains of a former Methodist chapel and a variety of locally-made bottles have been discovered as work has started on a new youth centre in a Cheshire Youth Zone is being constructed on a site on a former car park in the car park was built in the 1970s and existing buildings in the site were partially knocked down but also filled in and covered Ashleigh Harrington said the team had expected to "find absolutely nothing surviving". The youth zone is being developed by charity OnSide on the site of the former council car park on Oak site previously included some housing as well as a Methodist church. Ms Harrington works for Oxford Archaeology Lancaster and her team opened up a 10m by 20m trench on what was designated as a chapel on historical found a 2m deep cellar in a house next door and then started uncovering the remains of the chapel."We found a little range indicating that we've got a little kitchen, and a sweet little fireplace which indicated some sort of sitting room and then we found a bottle store room which was full to the top with broken bottles, with a lot of them having 'Crewe' on them," she said."This building was pushed down in the 70s to make way for this car park which has been overlaid and the tarmac is right on top of this building, they did not bother taking it out, so just finding the amount of remains we have found is crazy."The team will then go and research the bottles to find more about their links to both the chapel and the town. Stuart Mannifould is the chief executive of the youth centre, and said the project represented an investment of almost £14m."We've been in a position for a few months where we've been in the back room getting our systems in place but now we can actually see some real progress on site - it's just nice to see a digger," he said."The young people of Crewe that we're working with with our young persons development group are so excited for this to come to fruition."He added: "It's not a secret that there's lots of challenges going on with our young people, there's a huge amount of poverty in Crewe."So to have somewhere they can come and be themselves and interact with other young people and amazing youth workers can only add to their ability to progress in their lives."The youth zone is set to open in spring 2026. Read more Cheshire stories from the BBC and follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
