21,000 young people helped so far – and thousands more to come

The Way Youth Zone in Wolverhampton is celebrating 10 years of helping youngsters.

The state-of-the-art space for eight to 18-year-olds looked back at its achievements with members, staff and businesses that have supported it since 2016.

Staff at the Way, a go-to spot for young people, signalled its intention to help even more people in the city.

CEO Paul Snape, who joined The Way in 2024, said over 21,000 young people have so far benefited from access to sport, music and art sessions.

‘Still thousands of children and young adults we need to reach’

“A lot has been achieved, but this is just the start – there are still thousands of children and young adults we need to reach,” he said.

“We want to use our 10th birthday as a platform to encourage greater investment in our young people”.

Paul thanked founder patrons who are still involved, including the Gough Group, University of Wolverhampton, City of Wolverhampton College, City of Wolverhampton Council and Roy Bernard.

“The corporate backing we get makes all the difference,” he said.

“In addition to becoming a patron, you can also volunteer as an individual or a team, use our space for teambuilding days, fundraise or collaborate with us on an employability partnership.”

The Way said its outreach minibus programme, started recently, is proving increasingly popular, with pickups and drop-offs bringing in 38 new young people in the last month, all of whom would previously have been missing out