Wigan Youth Zone offers young people free meals to support families during cost-of-living crisis

Through funding from HAF, OnSide and The National Lottery Fund, Wigan Youth Zone has already provided 4340 free entries and provided 4767 free hot, nutritious meals to members on the run up to Christmas.

And now, from January, young people who attend Wigan Youth Zone on the weekend sessions will receive further free entry and a free hot meal from its café - with over 4000 young people set to benefit from this initiative until March.

Furthermore, Wigan Youth Zone will continue aiding their most vulnerable members by providing complimentary entry and meals every evening, benefiting more than 30 per cent of nightly attendees.

Families are under increasing pressure as costs rise, with the Christmas period especially difficult for many.

The recent Generation Isolation report by the youth charity OnSide showed that over one in four young people had stopped taking part in activities or hobbies because of the cost of living, while 69 per cent of young people surveyed said they were concerned about the crisis.

By providing free meals to young people, Wigan Youth Zone hopes that some of these worries can be alleviated.

The initiative has been made possible thanks to funding from Ajaz.org, a charity founded by Ajaz Ahmed MBE which helps children and families facing challenges by supporting charities like OnSide and its Youth Zones.

Funding for the initiative has also been provided by ICG, a global alternative asset manager, providing clients with wide‐ranging capital solutions and creating value for stakeholders, shareholders, and communities and by Mistral.

Wigan Youth Zone is open seven days a week, supporting young people to engage with affordable activities such as sport, art, music and cooking as well as providing access to support from its trained team of youth workers.

Head of operations at Wigan Youth Zone Sikander Ali said: "Seeing more and more young people struggle to scrape together even the 50p entry fee really hits home for us. It's tough knowing that some of our members might go hungry through no fault of their own.

"But here at Wigan Youth Zone, we're determined to change that with the help and generosity of our funders. Our aim is to create a space where every young person feels valued and fed, where financial barriers never block the path to opportunities."

Nicola Brentnall, chief executive of Ajaz.org, said: “We know that far too many families are struggling through the cost-of-living crisis – with the winter months an even bigger challenge.

"Through OnSide’s free hot meals, we can help lift some of the load from their shoulders.”

Antje Hensel-Roth, chief people and external affairs officer for ICG, said: “With the cost-of-living crisis increasing economic hardship for families, offerings like free meals have become all the more important.

"We are delighted to be supporting the OnSide Network with their mission of helping families throughout this crisis.”

Wigan Youth Zone is one of 14 across the country, which are all part of the national OnSide Network of Youth Zones.